Structural phase transitions on stepped surfaces

We predict a new class of structural phase transitions which occur on a microscopic length scale on stepped surfaces. These include commensurate and incommensurate “step-step” transitions. They can occur either on clean equilibrium surfaces or can be adsorbate induced. We also present a Landau-Lifshitz classification of some of these structural phase transitions. Critical exponents characterizing these transitions can be experimentally determined by LEED measurements.     

Remarks on phase transitions of surfaces

Clean surfaces of pure crystals may exhibit superstructures at low temperature which disappear at a critical temperature. We discuss the order and characteristics of these crystallographic phase transitions of surfaces.     

半导体硅重构表面及其相变动力学的研究进展

简单介绍了文章作者在半导体硅重构表面及其相变动力学研究方面的进展.近期si(111)(7×7)-(1×1)相变的实验研究发现,将温度升高到相变温度以上时,7×7岛面积以恒定的衰减速率随时间减小至零,且初始面积越大的岛这个衰减速率就越大.文章作者分析了大量的实验事实,由此提出了一个双速相场模型来解释这个重要而令人困惑的现象.模型重点是:在相变过程中,7×7关键结构变化较快,随后的层错消解过程要慢得多.这个模型完美地解释了相关实验现象,说明该模型抓住了关键物理要素,这种相场方法也可以用于其他半导体表面相变研究.     

Wetting transitions on textured hydrophilic surfaces

We consider the quasi-static energy of a drop on a textured hydrophilic surface, with taking the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) into account. We demonstrate how energy varies as the contact state changes from the Cassie state (in which air is trapped at the drop bottom) to the Wenzel state (in which liquid fills the texture at the drop bottom) assuming that the latter state nucleates from the center of the drop bottom. When the textured substrate is hydrophilic enough to allow spontaneous penetration of liquid film of the texture thickness, the present theory asserts that the drop develops into an experimentally observed state in which a drop looks like an egg fried without flipped over (sunny-side up) with a well-defined radius of "the egg yolk." Otherwise, the final contact state of the drop becomes like a Wenzel state, but with the contact circle smaller than the original Wenzel state due to the CAH. We provide simple analytical estimations for the yolk radius of the "sunny-side-up" state and for the final radius of the contact circle of the pseudo-Wenzel state.     

半导体硅重构表面及其相变动力学的研究进展

简单介绍了文章作者在半导体硅重构表面及其相变动力学研究方面的进展.近期Si(111) (7×7)-(1×1)相变的实验研究发现,将温度升高到相变温度以上时,7×7岛面积以恒定的衰减速率随时间减小至零,且初始面积越大的岛这个衰减速率就越大.文章作者分析了大量的实验事实,由此提出了一个双速相场模型来解释这个重要而令人困惑的现象.模型重点是：在相变过程中,7×7关键结构变化较快,随后的层错消解过程要慢得多.这个模型完美地解释了相关实验现象,说明该模型抓住了关键物理要素,这种相场方法也可以用于其他半导体表面相变研究.     

Universality of phase transitions at solid surfaces

Recent progress in theoretical and experimental studies on various order-disorder phase transitions at solid surfaces is reviewed. An emphasis is put on the problem of the universality class of surface phase transitions.     

Phase transitions and diffraction of kinked vicinal surfaces

Several aspects related to kinked vicinal surfaces are studied here. First, a symmetry classification of ordered kinked crystal surfaces is given. Possible second order (continuous) phase transitions are identified within the context of Landau-Lifshitz theory. In addition to the Ising and the X - Y model (with cubic anisotropy) universality classes, we obtain a special case in which transitions are in the Potts universality class. Transitions in the latter class do not occur on the stepped vicinal surfaces. Secondly, an expression for the diffraction intensity of the ordered kinked surface is derived. The Bragg peaks for the kinked surface are predicted to split into quadruplets and are calculated for a specific surface. Finally, an exact expression is obtained for the atomic pair correlation function. In the appropriate limits these expressions reduce to the corresponding formulae for the vicinal stepped surfaces.     

Roughening and preroughening transitions in crystal surfaces with double-height steps

We investigate phase transitions in a solid-on-solid model where double-height steps as well as single-height steps are allowed. Without the double-height steps, repulsive interactions between up-up or down-down step pairs give rise to a disordered flat phase. When the double-height steps are allowed, two single-height steps can merge into a double-height step (step doubling). We find that the step doubling reduces repulsive interaction strength between single-height steps and that the disordered flat phase is suppressed. As a control parameter a step doubling energy is introduced, which is assigned to each step doubling vertex. From transfer matrix type finite-size-scaling studies of interface free energies, we obtain the phase diagram in the parameter space of the step energy, the interaction energy, and the step doubling energy.     

Phase transitions on clean Si(110) surfaces

The properties of the structure of clean Si(110) surfaces have been investigated by LEED. The phase transitions between surface structures Si(110)?(4 × 5), Si(110)?(2 × 1) and Si(110)(5 × 1) take place at about 600 and 750°C. The time of reconstruction from the high temperature phase to the low temperature phase may exceed the time of the sample cooling. That explains why the Si(110)?(2 × 1) and the Si(110)?(5 × 1) superstructures may be seen at room temperature. Surface defects favour the retaining of high temperature phases on the surface at room temperature. The transition from the Si(110)?(5 × 1) structure to the Si(110)?(2× 1) structure and conversely in the temperature range of 720–750°C apparently occurs through formation of the intermediate structures Si(110)?(7 × 1) and Si(110)?(9 × 1). The models are given of superstructures observed by LEED.     

Translational symmetry changes in second-order phase transitions on clean crystal surfaces

The group theory approach, within the Landau-Lifshitz theory of phase transitions, is presented to predict the possible translational symmetry changes (possible surface superstructures) in second-order phase transitions on clean crystal surfaces. 80 diperiodic groups in three dimensions are used to describe the symmetry of the surface layer. A comparison of the theoretical results with experimental data is given.     

Electronic interactions and phase transitions at surfaces and in low dimensions

Low-dimensional and magnetic systems provide particularly clear-cut cases for the study of modified electron states that result from coupling with elementary excitations. Electronic quasiparticles of enhanced mass have been observed on the energy scale of phonons, and very recently on that of spin waves. Such mechanisms have bearing for superconducting pair formation, as spin fluctuations are being considered for high-temperature superconductivity. Phase transitions can occur if these interactions are accompanied by a nesting condition in the Fermi surface, leading to charge- or spin-density waves. The phase transition usually involves a structural distortion and is characterized by the opening of an energy gap. Special cases are the presence of multiple bands at the Fermi surface or the occurrence of thermal fluctuations. Recent progress in photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron-radiation instrumentation allow us to study these effects directly and resolved in k-space. Observations on surfaces, in magnetic materials, and in quasi-one-dimensional crystals are presented. PACS 73.20.At; 71.38.-k; 75.30.Ds; 71.30.+h; 79.60.-i     

Modeling and interference-microscopy characterization of graded index transitions in ion-exchange waveguide integrated elements: transitions between annealed surfaces

We employ interference microscopy to characterize in a direct and local way the graded index transitions at the boundaries of integrated optical elements fabricated by multistep ion-exchange processes, a task not yet possible by other technologies. A particular fabrication method based on purely thermal ion-exchange, which allows local single-mode propagation, is investigated. The refractive-index distribution is modeled on the basis of the linear theory of diffusion and adiabatic transitions of the refractive-index profile. Finally, its validity is analyzed by microinterferometry.     

Shape transformation transitions in a model of fixed-connectivity surfaces supported by skeletons

A compartmentalized surface model of Nambu and Goto is studied on triangulated spherical surfaces by using the canonical Monte Carlo simulation technique. One-dimensional bending energy is defined on the skeletons and at the junctions, and the mechanical strength of the surface is supplied by the one-dimensional bending energy defined on the skeletons and junctions. The compartment size is characterized by the total number L^′ of bonds between the two-neighboring junctions and is assumed to have values in the range from L^′ = 2 to L^′ = 8 in the simulations, while that of the previously reported model is characterized by L^′ = 1, where all vertices of the triangulated surface are the junctions. Therefore, the model in this paper is considered to be an extension of the previous model in the sense that the previous model is obtained from the model in this paper in the limit of L^′↦1. The model in this paper is identical to the Nambu-Goto surface model without curvature energies in the limit of L^′↦∞ and hence is expected to be ill-defined at sufficiently large L^′. One remarkable result obtained in this paper is that the model has a well-defined smooth phase even at relatively large L^′ just as the previous model of L^′↦ 1. It is also remarkable that the fluctuations of surface in the smooth phase are crucially dependent on L^′; we can see no surface fluctuation when L^′≤ 2, while relatively large fluctuations are seen when L^′≥ 3.     

Continuum Monte Carlo simulation of phase transitions in rod-like molecules at surfaces

Summary Stiff rod-like chain molecules with harmonic bond length potentials and trigonometric bond angle potentials are used to model Langmuir monolayers at high densities. One end of the rod-like molecules is strongly bound to a flat two-dimensional substrate which represents the air-water interface. A ground-state analysis is performed which suggests phase transitions between phases with and without collective uniform tilt. Large-scale off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations over a wide temperature range show in addition to the tilting transition the presence of a strongly constrained melting transition at high temperatures. The latter transition appears to be related to two-dimensional melting of the head group lattice. These findings show that the model contains both, two- and three-dimensional ergodicity breaking solidification transitions. We discuss our findings with respect to experiment. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.     

From molecular flexibility to shape, curvature and thermotropic transitions in pure surfaces

A material surface of pure constituents with a flexible molecular chain (amphiphilics) is considered; thermodynamic behaviour is studied in the chain length-temperature plane. The Hamiltonian of the system is modelled as the sum of a formation term which refers to the polymer nature of the chain, and of a fluctuation term with a specific elastic form. For closed systems the model exhibits phases with uniform curvature and conformational order/disorder or, alternatively, modulated phases; a critical chain length is found for the existence of modulated phases; the dependence of transition temperature on energy parameters is determined. A critical region is found for open systems, where conformational disorder drives spontaneous generation of curvature; this lies above a characteristic chain length and around the shape transition temperature. Received: 13 November 1996 / Revised: 9 May 1997 / Received in final form: 4 November 1997 / Accepted: 10 November 1997     

Surface-plasmon assisted Auger transitions in grazing collisions of ions with simple metal surfaces

The dependence of surface-plasmon assisted decay of excited atomic p-levels to s-levels in front of simple metal surfaces on the particle velocity parallel to the surface plane is studied within a dielectric linear-response theory. This non-radiative de-excitation channel can be rather likely, provided the atomic transition energy is close to the surface-plasmon energy. Furthermore, a strong orientational effect of this damping process on the mean orbital angular momentum of the atom is found as a consequence of the particle motion parallel to the surface plane.

The reverse process, that is, surface-plasmon assisted excitation is also discussed.     

Near-field speckles produced by random self-affine surfaces and their contrast transitions

By use of a numerical calculation based on Green's integral equation, we study the near-field speckles produced by the random self-affine fractal surfaces of a dielectric medium. The speckle intensities evolve considerably in the near-field region, and the local fluctuations in them disappear before they have traversed the distance of a wavelength. The transition of the speckle contrast either on the surface or in the near field and in the neighborhood non-near-field regions depends on lateral correlation length xi and roughness exponent alpha of the random surfaces.