Optimal conditions for submonolayer nanoisland growth in ion beam assisted deposition

We study the optimal conditions for nanoisland growth in ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). This situation occurs when adatom islands remain small enough to prevent the onset of three-dimensional growth, while at the same time preventing ion-induced surface erosion. To this end, we develop a rate equation model of IBAD, which embodies continuous deposition of adatoms and creation of vacancies, recombination of vacancies at adatom island edges, as well as recombination of adatoms at vacancy island edges. These rate equations are solved by numerical simulations based on the particle coalescence method. To determine the optimal growth condition, we find the largest mean size of the vacancy islands leading to their survival. We show that at this onset between the rough and smooth layer-by-layer growth regimes there is a simple exponential relation between the largest size of the vacancy islands and the external control parameters of the growth.     

Equilibrium shape and size of supported heteroepitaxial nanoislands

We study the equilibrium shape, shape transitions and optimal size of strained heteroepitaxial nanoislands with a two-dimensional atomistic model using simply adjustable interatomic pair potentials. We map out the global phase diagram as a function of substrate-adsorbate misfit and interaction. This phase diagram reveals all the phases corresponding to different well-known growth modes. In particular, for large enough misfits and attractive substrate there is a Stranski-Krastanow regime, where nano-sized islands grow on top of wetting films. We analyze the various terms contributing to the total island energy in detail, and show how the competition between them leads to the optimal shape and size of the islands. Finally, we also develop an analytic interpolation formula for the various contributions to the total energy of strained nanoislands.     

Scaling behavior of island density in submonolayer growth of CaF2 on vicinal Si(1 1 1)

We have studied the scaling behavior of two-dimensional island density during submonolayer growth of CaF₂ on vicinal Si(1 1 1) surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy. We have analyzed the morphology of the Si(1 1 1) surfaces where CaF₂ partial monolayers with coverages of about 0.1 monolayer are deposited at ∼600 °C. The number density of terrace nucleated islands increases with substrate terrace width l as ∼l⁴ in a low island density regime. This scaling behavior is consistent with predictions for the case of the irreversible growth of islands.     

Au island growth on a Si(1 1 1) vicinal surface

Au island nucleation and growth on a Si(1 1 1) 7 × 7 vicinal surface was studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy. The surface was prepared to have a regular array of step bunches. Growth temperature and Au coverage were varied in the 255-430 °C substrate temperature range and from 1 to 7 monolayers, respectively. Two kinds of islands are observed on the surface: Au-Si reconstructed islands on the terraces and three-dimensional (3D) islands along the step bunches. Focusing on the latter, the dependence of island density, size and position on substrate temperature and on Au coverage is investigated. At 340 °C and above, hemispherical 3D islands nucleate systematically on the step edges.     

Crucial role of substrate steps in de-wetting of crystalline thin films

Using low-energy electron microscopy, we show that de-wetting of Ag and Cu films on Ru(0 0 0 1) occurs by 3-D islands migrating across step edges in the “downhill” direction. We have observed islands thicken by more than 50 atomic layers in this manner. The island migration allows 3-D growth to occur in a way that avoids the nucleation barrier associated with forming 2-D islands on top of 3-D islands. Indeed, without substrate steps this nucleation barrier is not surmounted, and no 3-D islands are formed in the films studied.     

The dynamical origin of non-normal energy scaling and the effect of surface temperature on the trapping of low molecular weight alkanes on Pt(111)

Molecular classical dynamical simulations of alkanes trapping on platinum surfaces were performed to examine the origin of non-normal energy scaling for molecular adsorption. Conversion of normal to parallel translational energy at normal incidence and conversion of parallel translational energy into normal translational energy at glancing angles are the primary mechanisms which produce non-normal energy scaling of alkanes trapping on cold Pt(111). In addition, a tendency to convert rotational energy gained in the first gas-surface collision into normal translational energy for collisions at glancing incidence further increases the degree of non-normal energy scaling. Increasing surface temperature is shown to have little effect on energy transfer processes in the first bounce but increasing influence on subsequent bounces. Despite difficulties in defining trapping at high surface temperatures, simulations indicate that the initial trapping probability of ethane on Pt(111) does not fall by more than a factor of two over the surface temperature range of 100–700 K.     

Fabrication of uniform Au silicide islands on the Si(1 1 1)-(7 × 7) substrate

The Au silicide islands have been fabricated by additional deposition of Au on the prepared surface at 270 °C where the Si islands of magic sizes were formed on the Si(1 1 1)-(7 × 7) dimer-adatom-stacking fault substrate. The surface structure on the Au silicide islands shows the Au/Si(1 1 1)-√3 × √3 reconstructed structure although the substrate remains 7 × 7 DAS structure. The size of the Au silicide islands depends on the size distribution of the preformed Si islands, because the initial size and shape of the Si islands play important roles in the formation of the Au silicide island. We have achieved the fabrication of the Au silicide islands of about the same size (∼5 nm) and the same shape by controlling the initial Si growth and the additional Au growth conditions.     

Adatom concentration on GaAs(001) during MBE annealing

We study the concentration of adatoms on GaAs(001) during annealing under MBE conditions. By rapidly cooling the sample from typical growth temperatures and typical As overpressures, the thermal concentration of adatoms can be frozen into small islands on the terraces. The area of the resulting islands is measured with STM far from terrace steps, giving an estimate of the concentration of adatoms during equilibrium. We find that a surprisingly large concentration of adatoms is present for typical growth temperatures, e.g. 0.18 monolayer at 600°C. Possible consequences for current growth models are discussed.     

Ag growth on Si(111) with an Sb surfactant investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy

We have investigated a room-temperature growth mode of ultrathin Ag films on a Si(111) surface with an Sb surfactant using STM in a UHV system. On the Sb-passivated Si surface, small sized islands were formed up to 1.1 ML. Flat Ag islands were dominant at 2.1 ML, coalescing into larger islands at 3.2 ML. Although the initial growth mode of Ag films on the Sb-terminated Si(111) surface was Volmer-Weber (island growth), the films were much more uniform than Ag growth on clean (Si(111) at the higher coverages. From the analysis of STM images of Ag films grown with and without an Sb surfactant, the uniform growth of Ag films using an Sb surfactant appears to be caused by the kinetic effects of Ag on the preadsorbed Sb layer. Our STM results indicated that Sb suppresses the surface diffusion of Ag atoms and increases the Ag-island density. The increased island density is believed to cause coalescence of Ag islands at higher coverages of Ag, resulting in the growth of atomically flat and uniform Ag islands on the Sb surfactant layer.     

Photoemission studies of the surfactant-aided growth of Ge on Te-terminated Si(100)

The interactions of Ge adatoms with a Si(100) surface terminated by an ordered layer of Te have been studied in detail using XPS, SXPS, STM and LEED. It has been demonstrated that the Te layer has a surfactant action on the growth mode of the Ge in that the two dimensional growth regime is extended to at least 200 Å and the Te is seen to segregate to the growing Ge surface. The surface reconstruction of the Ge layer changes from (1 × 1) in the initial stages to (2 × 2) as growth proceeds and the surface population of Te is reduced. SXPS line shape analysis has indicated that the initial stages of Ge incorporation are characterised by the formation of small islands above those surface Si sites not fully coordinated with Te. Continued growth of such islands is, however, restricted due to their high surface free energy with respect to the surrounding Te-terminated areas. Ge atoms therefore site-exchange with Te atoms in bridge sites, thus becoming incorporated onto the Si lattice and displacing the Te to bridge sites on the growing surface. In this manner islanding is prevented and two-dimensional growth continues beyond the critical thickness. No evidence is seen for any significant incorporation of the Te within the growing Ge layer.     

薄膜生长中的表面动力学(Ⅰ)

本文较全面地从理论上研究了薄膜生长过程中原子在表面上的和种动力学表现，涉及的内容包括亚单层生长时，原子在表面上的扩散，粘接，成核，以及已经形成的原子岛之间的相互作用，兼并，失稳，退化等一系列过程，作为研究的基础。在本文的第一部分（即0-6章）中，我们首先介绍了目前这方面理论研究中所主要使用的各种方法。例如，第一性原理计算，分子动力学模拟。蒙特卡罗模拟。速率方程和过渡态（TST）理论等。基于这些研究。我们介绍给读者为什么原子成岛时在低温下选择分形状，而在高温时则选择紧致状。这一过程可以用经典的扩散子限制集聚理论（Diffusion-Limited Aggregation,DLA)。然而当有表面活性剂存在时形核的规律安全相反，由此提出了一个反应限制集聚理论（Reaction-Limited Aggregation,RLA)，这两个理论目前可以很好的解释亚单层生长时的一般形核规律。接下来我们讨论了长程相互作用对生长初期原子形核的影响。并进一步得出了相应的标度理论。在第6章我们系统地研究了分了吸附对二维原子岛形状的控制性，从而提出了边-角原子扩散的对称破缺模型。     

薄膜生长中的表面动力学(Ⅰ)

本文较全面地从理论上研究了薄膜生长过程中原子在表面上的各种动力学表现 ,涉及的内容包括亚单层生长时 ,原子在表面上的扩散 ,粘接 ,成核 ,以及已经形成的原子岛之间的相互作用 ,兼并 ,失稳 ,退化等一系列过程。作为研究的基础 ,在本文的第一部分 (即0～ 6章 )中 ,我们首先介绍了目前这方面理论研究中所主要使用的各种方法。例如 ,第一性原理计算 ,分子动力学模拟 ,蒙特卡罗模拟 ,速率方程和过渡态 (TST)理论等。基于这些研究 ,我们介绍给读者为什么原子成岛时在低温下选择分形状 ,而在高温时则选择紧致状。这一过程可以用经典的扩散子限制集聚理论 (Diffusion_LimitedAggregation ,DLA)。然而当有表面活性剂存在时形核的规律完全相反 ,由此提出了一个反应限制集聚理论 (Reaction_LimitedAggregation,RLA)。这两个理论目前可以很好地解释亚单层生长时的一般形核规律。接下来我们讨论了长程相互作用对生长初期原子形核的影响 ,并进一步得出了相应的标度理论。在第 6章我们系统地研究了分了吸附对二维原子岛形状的控制性 ,从而提出了边 角原子扩散的对称破缺模型。     

Analytical determination of the Landau-Ginzburg parameters of (100) metal homoepitaxial systems

In the initial stages of homoepitaxial growth on the (100) surface of metals such as Ag, Fe, Cu, Ni, and Pd, where the clean surface does not reconstruct, two-dimensional islands with compact, near-square shapes are formed. In order to determine the phenomenological material parameters of the nonlinear and nonlocal Landau-Ginzburg theory, which describes the metal homoepitaxial systems mentioned above, an atomistic model for these systems is developed. Based on this model, we derive analytical relationships between the Landau-Ginzburg parameters A, B, C, and D, and the parameters of the homoepitaxial system (such as coverage, first-neighbour interaction energy, etc.). We find that the Landau-Ginzburg parameters of the system depend on the specific material as well as on the coverage of the surface. We then apply the method to the Ag/Ag(100) system.     

Au/Cu(001)异质外延岛演化的分子动力学研究

利用分子动力学弛豫方法模拟了Au/Cu(001)异质外延生长初期Au异质外延岛的形貌演化，分析了Au外延岛演化过程中的局域应力及与基体结合能随表面岛尺寸的变化. 研究结果表明：当异质外延岛小于7×7时，外延岛原子分布呈现赝Cu点阵形貌；当外延岛达到8×8后，外延岛内开始出现失配位错，失配位错数量随外延岛尺寸的增加而增加. 局域压力分析指出，外延岛上原子之间的近邻环境不同导致了所受应力的差异，而外延岛的形变则是由外延岛原子的应力分布所决定. 研究还发现，失配位错的产生导致错位原子与基体原子之间的结合强度减弱，但相对增加了非错位原子与基体原子之间的结合强度. 关键词： 异质外延 表面形貌 局域压力 分子动力学模拟     

Logarithmic islanding in submonolayer epitaxial growth

We investigate submonolayer epitaxial growth with a fixed monomer flux and irreversible aggregation of adatom islands due to an effective island diffusion, with a diffusivity for an mass k island proportional to . For , there is a steady state, while for , continuously evolving logarithmic islanding occurs in which the island density grows extremely slowly, as . In the latter regime, the island size distribution exhibits complex, but universal, multiple-scale mass dependence which we account for theoretically. Received: 3 June 1998 / Accepted: 13 July 1998     

Growth and thermal evolution of submonolayer Pt films on Ru(0 0 0 1) studied by STM

The growth of submonolayer Pt on Ru(0 0 0 1) has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. We focus on the island evolution depending on Pt coverage θ_Pt, growth temperature T_G and post-growth annealing temperature T_A. Dendritic trigonal Pt islands with atomically rough borders are observed at room temperature and moderate deposition rates of about 5 × 10⁻⁴ ML/s. Two types of orientation, rotated by 180° and strongly influenced by minute amounts of oxygen are observed which is ascribed to nucleation starting at either hcp or fcc hollow sites. The preference for fcc sites changes to hcp in the presence of about one percent of oxygen. At lower growth temperatures Pt islands show a more fractal shape. Generally, atomically rough island borders smooth down at elevated growth temperatures higher than 300 K, or equivalent annealing temperatures. Dendritic Pt islands, for example, transform into compact, almost hexagonal islands, indicating similar step energies of A- and B-type of steps. Depending on the Pt coverage the thermal evolution differs somewhat: While regular islands on Ru(0 0 0 1) are formed at low coverages, vacancy islands are observed close to completion of the Pt layer.     

The transition from surface to bulk oxide growth on Pt(1 0 0): Precursor-mediated kinetics

We investigated the kinetics governing the transition from surface (2D) to bulk (3D) oxide growth on Pt(1 0 0) in ultrahigh vacuum as a function of the surface temperature and the incident flux of an oxygen atom beam. For the incident fluxes examined, the bulk oxide formation rate increases linearly with incident flux (Φ_O) as the oxygen coverage increases to about 1.7 ML (monolayer) and depends only weakly on the surface temperature in the limit of low surface temperature (T_S < 475 K). In contrast, in the high temperature limit (T_S > 525 K), the bulk oxide formation rate increases with for oxygen coverages as high as 1.6 ML, and decreases with increasing surface temperature. We show that the measured kinetics is quantitatively reproduced by a model which assumes that O atoms adsorb on top of the 2D oxide, and that this species acts as a precursor that can either associatively desorb or react with the 2D oxide to form a 3D oxide particle. According to the model, the observed change in the flux and surface temperature dependence of the oxidation rate is due to a change in the rate-controlling steps for bulk oxide formation from reaction at low temperature to precursor desorption at high temperature. From analysis of flux-dependent uptake data, we estimate that the formation rate of a bulk oxide nucleus has a fourth-order dependence on the precursor coverage, which implies a critical configuration for oxide nucleus formation requiring four precursor O atoms. Considering the similarities in the development of surface oxides on various transition metals, the precursor-mediated transition to bulk oxide growth reported here may be a general feature in the oxidation of late transition metal surfaces.     

Apparent contrast of molecularly thin films of water at ionic crystal surfaces

We focus the apparent contrast of water islands formed at ionic crystal surfaces in air at room temperature (RT) using the non-contact monitoring mode of a scanning force microscope (SFM). Their apparent heights of water islands formed on LiF(001), CaF₂(111) and BaF₂(111) surfaces have been measured to be about 2, 1 and 1 nm, respectively. The water growth of a NaF(001) surface has two phases (phase I and phase II). The apparent heights of phase I and phase II have been measured to be about 2 and 1.5 nm, respectively. The apparent height of water films is shown to be strongly modified by the dielectric constant of sample and water, and the true thickness of water islands is discussed.     

Island adsorption and adatom diffusion on 3D non-crystalline silver nanoclusters

We report a systematic study of island adsorption and single-adatom diffusion on free silver nanoclusters, and discuss the consequences on the growth. In our calculations, silver is modelled by semiempirical many-body potentials. We consider magic non-crystallographic structures at different sizes: icosahedra (Ih) at 55, 147 and 309 atoms; Marks-truncated decahedra (m-Dh) at 75, 146 and 192 atoms. We calculate the map of adsorption sites and the energy barriers for the different diffusion processes. We find that, due to purely geometrical reasons, medium-size (from 6–8 to 30–40 atoms depending on the cluster) islands on the cluster (1 1 1) facets prefer the hcp stacking on both Ih and Dh structures, while both smaller and larger islands are better placed on fcc stacking. Interfacet diffusion is easy on both Dh and Ih, indicating that large islands are easily grown; in particular, there are multi-atom diffusion processes which allow fast diffusion among the two caps of Dh clusters. For Dh clusters, islands on hcp stacking may lead to the appearance of new fivefold symmetry points, and to the transformation of the cluster into an icosahedron.     

Control of island morphology by dynamic coalescence of soft-landed clusters

The deposition of preformed clusters on surfaces has been established as a new way for growing nano-suctures on surfaces. It has been shown that supported island morphology relies on the dynamics of clusters, during the growth, giving rise to shapes from compact to ramified types. This paper identifies and discusses, in the case of antimony cluster deposits, several processes responsible for the non-equilibrium island shapes: limited kinetic cluster aggregation, size dependent coalescence, “wetting-like behavior” of antimony clusters on antimony islands. Using successive predetermined cluster sizes during the deposition process to synthesize polymorphic structure involves the interplay of those mechanisms. Received 1st December 2000