CdSe/ZnSe异质结构中Zn1－xCdxSe量子岛(点)的显微荧光光谱和显微拉曼光谱研究

利用显微荧光和显微拉曼光谱,研究了分子束外延生长的CdSe/ZnSe异质结构中,由两种不同机理形成的两类具有不同尺寸和组分的Zn1-xCdxSe量子岛.4.2 K时的显微荧光光谱表明,当CdSe淀积厚度由1.8 ML增加到2.3ML时,Zn1-xCdxSe量子岛的激子荧光峰有166 meV的较大红移,这是量子岛尺寸改变引起的量子限制势能变化所不能完全解释的.经过对样品的显微荧光和显微拉曼光谱的对比分析,发现还存在另外两种引起量子岛荧光峰较大红移的机理：一方面是因为随着CdSe淀积厚度的增加,具有更低能态的大岛密度的增加,并逐渐取代小岛而主导Zni-xCdxSe量子岛的荧光性质;另一方面是由于CdSe/ZnSe量子结构中的两类量子岛的Cd组分浓度也会随CdSe淀积厚度的增加而增加,从而引起量子岛荧光峰的较大红移.     

Evidence of strong sequential band filling at interface islands in asymmetric coupled quantum wells

We report the observation of relative saturation among excitonic emission peaks at different sets of interface islands in growth-interrupted asymmetric-coupled quantum well GaAs/Al_0.2Ga_0.8As structures. The saturation is due to sequential filling of excitonic states at different sets of interface islands. In contrast to free excitonic states, the small total area density of excitonic states at the interface islands makes their filling observable at much lower excitation levels. As a result of the relative saturation, an effective blue shift of the apparent excitonic emission peak at the islands, with a magnitude as large as ∼6.1 meV is observed when the excitation intensity increases from ∼1.6 to ∼215 W cm⁻². The highest intensity required to observe the effective blue shift is about two orders of magnitude lower than that needed to observe a similar effect in a free excitonic emission peak.     

Two-dimensional roughening of adsorbate islands in thermodynamic equilibrium

Equilibrium fluctuations of islands of adsorbed O atoms on Ru(0001) were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), density functional theory calculations (DFT) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Very ramified (2 x 2)-O islands were observed by high-speed STM that point to complex interactions between the O atoms. The DFT calculations show that, in addition to pairwise attractive interactions between third-nearest neighbors, a repulsive three-body interaction exists between these. MC simulations that include three-body interactions reproduce the observed ordering behavior.     

Vertical ordering of islands in Ge-Si multilayers

Growth and ordering of GeSi islands in Ge-Si multilayer systems during deposition by Low-Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition (LPCVD) at 700°C on Si (001) substrates have been investigated for different layer distances by transmission electron microscopy of cross-section and plane-view specimens. Vertical ordering of GeSi islands with almost perfect correlation is observed for distances between the Ge layers of 100 nm. At larger interlayer distances, a continuous decrease of the correlation is found. Vertical ordering in the multilayer system is modelled in terms of the elastic interaction between island nuclei in a newly forming layer and close islands in a buried layer below. Lateral ordering parallel to < 100 >, as observed previously in larger Ge-Si multilayer systems is not found in our systems, consisting of two Ge layers. This difference indicates that lateral ordering in the upper Ge layers of a large multilayer system is triggered by vertical ordering.     

Observation of "Ghost" islands and surfactant effect of surface gallium atoms during GaN growth by molecular beam epitaxy

We observe "ghost" islands formed on terraces during homoepitaxial nucleation of GaN. We attribute the ghost islands to intermediate nucleation states, which can be driven into "normal" islands by scanning tunneling microscopy. The formation of ghost islands is related to excess Ga atoms on the surface. The excess Ga also affect island number density: by increasing Ga coverage, the island density first decreases, reaching a minimum at about 1 monolayer (ML) Ga and then increases rapidly for coverages above 1 ML. This nonmonotonic behavior points to a surfactant effect of the Ga atoms.     

Critical dimensions for YBCO islands grown by pulsed laser deposition

Islands of constant width at half maximum of approximately 100 nm have been observed during the pulsed laser deposition of films of nominal thickness from 0.7 to 3.0 nm of the material YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(YBCO) on substrates of SrTiO₃. The critical island dimensions of width, height and spacing were analyzed with classical kinetic and thermodynamic theories. Analytically it was calculated that the equilibrium island width for a 29-nm-high island should be 111 nm. The analysis also predicted that islands of smaller height should be wider, and higher islands should be narrower. Islands of height from 3.5 nm to 29 nm were observed with an atomic force microscope to have a constant width at half maximum of approximately 100 nm. There are several possible differences between experiment and analysis that could explain the difference in the results: the islands formed in a non-equilibrium phase of YBCO, the island strain relaxed from the base to the top, and smaller islands may not have reached their equilibrium width. Larger islands had significant roughening at the top. Calculations predict that these islands would be unstable with respect to surface perturbations. Calculations of relaxation strain energy and surface energy showed that there was excess strain energy available for island heights above 9 nm to provide the extra surface energy that would be necessary for surface perturbations to develop. The minimum observed interisland spacing of 36 nm agreed with calculations of the average atom diffusion length (40.6 nm). Received: 2 April 2001 / Accepted: 6 September 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Ultrasmall Ge islands with low diameter-to-height aspect ratio on Si(1 0 0)-(2 × 1) surfaces

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and high resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) studies have been used to investigate the formation of Ge nanocrystals grown on Si(1 0 0)-(2 × 1) surfaces by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We observe relatively high density of Ge islands where small ‘pyramids’, small ‘domes’ and facetted ‘domes’ of various sizes co-exist in the film. As revealed from XTEM images, a large fraction of islands, especially dome-shaped Ge islands have been found to have an aspect ratio of ∼1 (diameter):1 (height). Observation of truncated-sphere-shaped Ge islands with a narrow neck contact with the wetting layer is reported.     

Self-assembly of two-dimensional islands via strain-mediated coarsening

We demonstrate two distinctive effects of strain-induced island-island interaction on island size and spatial distribution during coarsening of 2D islands. When coarsening proceeds via only mass transport between islands, the interaction broadens the island size distribution, leading to a power-law dependence of island size uniformity on island number density. When coarsening proceeds via island migration in addition to mass transport between islands, the interaction can effectively direct island motion through island edge diffusion, leading to self-organized formation of a regular array of islands with both uniform size and spacing.     

Dislocated epitaxial islands

Dislocation networks observed in CoSi (2) islands grown epitaxially on Si are compared with the results of dislocation-dynamics calculations. The calculations make use of the fact that image forces play a relatively minor role compared to line tension forces and dislocation-dislocation interactions. Remarkable agreement is achieved, demonstrating that this approach can be applied more generally to study dislocations in other mesostructures.     

Strain-driven morphology of Si1-xGex islands grown on Si(100)

A study has been carried out on the morphology and structure of three-dimensional (3D) SiGe islands grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Si(100) substrates. Samples of Si1-xGex alloys have been prepared to investigate the effects either of the alloy composition or of the growth temperature. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) evidenced the growth of 3D islands and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated wetting layer growth on Si(100), independently on the deposition conditions. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) micro-analyses carried out on cross-sections of large Si1-xGex islands with defects allowed a measurement of the Ge distribution in the islands. To the best of our knowledge, these have been the first experimental evidences of a composition change inside SiGe islands. The interpretation of the experimental results has been done in terms of strain-enhanced diffusion mechanisms both of the growing species (Si and Ge) and of small islands.     

STM imaging of electrically floating islands

Appearances and disappearances of Gd islands grown on top of a W(1 1 0) substrate were observed in time scales of hours after exposing the surface to a few Langmuirs of hydrogen. The phenomenon is presented and explained in terms of (temporary) creation of electrically floating islands, due to electrical decoupling of the island and substrate by the hydrogen that diffuses into the island/substrate interface. The disappearance of such an island is explained by forming a double barrier junction consisting of two tunneling barriers in series, causing, by charging, the potential of the island to become equal to that of the tip. The island then becomes “invisible” and the tip follows the corrugation of the surface under the substrate. The reappearance follows hydrogen mobility that retains the electrical conductivity of the island-substrate interface.     

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     

Reversible shape transition of pb islands on Cu(111)

Using low-energy electron microscopy, we have observed a reversible transition in the shape of Pb adatom and vacancy islands on Cu(111). With increasing temperature, circular islands become elongated in one direction. In previous work we have shown that surface stress domain patterns are observed in this system with a characteristic feature size which decreases with increasing temperature. We show that the island shape transition occurs when the ratio of the island size to this characteristic feature size reaches a particular value. The observed critical ratio matches the value expected from stress domains.     

Formation mechanism of one-dimensional Si islands on a H/Si(001) surface

The formation mechanism of one-dimensional Si islands on a H/Si(001)-(2x1) surface is studied using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. We observed that one-dimensional islands that are made from dimer chains are formed at the initial growth stages similar to the bare Si(001) surface. It is found that the number of odd-numbered dimer chains is larger than that of even-numbered dimer chains. We propose the growth processes of the two types of growth edges to explain the observation.     

Electronic properties and interfacial coupling in Pb islands on single-crystalline graphene

Introducing metal thin films on two-dimensional (2D) material may present a system to possess exotic properties due to reduced dimensionality and interfacial effects. We deposit Pb islands on single-crystalline graphene on a Ge(110) substrate and studied the nano- and atomic-scale structures and low-energy electronic excitations with scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). Robust quantum well states (QWSs) are observed in Pb(111) islands and their oscillation with film thickness reveals the isolation of free electrons in Pb from the graphene substrate. The spectroscopic characteristics of QWSs are consistent with the band structure of a free-standing Pb(111) film. The weak interface coupling is further evidenced by the absence of superconductivity in graphene in close proximity to the superconducting Pb islands. Accordingly, the Pb(111) islands on graphene/Ge(110) are free-standing in nature, showing very weak electronic coupling to the substrate.     

A portable ultrahigh‐vacuum system for advanced synchrotron radiation studies of thin films and nanostructures: EuSi2 nano‐islands

A portable ultrahigh‐vacuum system optimized for in situ variable‐temperature X‐ray scattering and spectroscopy experiments at synchrotron radiation beamlines was constructed and brought into operation at the synchrotron radiation facility ANKA of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. Here the main features of the new instrument are described and its capabilities demonstrated. The surface morphology, structure and stoichiometry of EuSi₂ nano‐islands are determined by in situ grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. A size reduction of about a factor of two of the nano‐islands due to silicide decomposition and Eu desorption is observed after sample annealing at 1270 K for 30 min.     

Perfect alignment of self-organized Ge islands on pre-grown Si stripe mesas

Self-organized Ge islands grown on patterned Si(001) substrates have been investigated. Selective epitaxial growth (SEG) of Si is carried out with gas-source molecular beam epitaxy to form Si stripe mesas followed by subsequent Ge island growth. Self-aligned Ge islands with regular spacing are formed on the <110>-oriented ridges of the Si mesas. The regular spacing is driven by the repulsive interaction between the neighbor islands through the substrates. A mono-modal distribution of the islands has been observed on the ridges of the Si mesas. The spatial confinement as well as the preferential nucleation is believed to be the mechanism of this alignment of the self-organized Ge islands. Received: 16 July 1999 / Accepted: 6 August 1999 / Published online: 24 March 2000     

CdSe/ZnSe超薄层中两类量子岛（点）之间的激子转移和它们的光学性质研究

在变温条件下，对CdSe/ZnSe超薄层中的两类量子岛（点）进行了荧光光谱研究.在低温时，这两类岛之间的激子转移主要是通过隧穿过程，而随着温度的升高，局域激子的热跳跃逐渐取代隧穿过程成为激子转移的主导机理.研究还发现，小岛是具有准零维光学性质且不同于大岛的纳米团簇，它们激子的光学特性之间存在一定的差异，但实验表明两类量子岛之间又有很大的光学关联. 关键词： 量子点 激子 CdSe     

Multiple states of nonlinear drift-tearing islands

Nonlinear drift-tearing magnetic islands are studied numerically with a four-field model that includes the parallel ion dynamics. In certain regions of the parameter space, multiple solutions are found. In particular, linearly stable drift-tearing perturbations can grow to finite size magnetic islands when the amplitude of the initial perturbation is sufficiently large.     

Emergently thermalized islands in the landscape

In this Letter, we point out that in the eternal inflation driven by the metastable vacua of the landscape, it might be possible that some large and local quantum fluctuations with the null energy condition violation can stride over the barriers between different vacua and straightly create some islands with radiation and matter in new vacua. Then these thermalized islands will evolve with the standard cosmology. We show that such islands may be consistent with our observable universe, while has some distinctly observable signals, which may be tested in coming observations.