Diffusion of atoms on an fcc(111) surface

The motion of adatoms on an fcc(111) surface is modeled. In light of recently revealed specific features of the potential energy surface, a new empirical potential taking into account the nonequivalence of fcc and hcp adsorption sites was proposed. The modeling was performed by the method of stochastic cycles, a new variety of MDM. Calculations were performed for the diffusion of oxygen atoms over a platinum surface. The potential energy surface was constructed based on experimental data and DFT calculations. An analysis demonstrated that the diffusion activation energy coincides with the static barrier while the preexponential factor is weakly temperature-dependent. Note, however, that the degree of asymmetry of the potential produces a significant effect on the preexponential factor: the changeover from a symmetric two-well potential to a strongly asymmetric single-well potential causes an increase in the preexponential factor by an order of magnitude.     

Disordered flat phase separation of the Lennard-Jones fcc(111) surface

Recent lattice model calculations have suggested that a full-layered crystal surface may undergo, under canonical (particle-conserving) conditions, a preroughening-driven two-dimensional phase separation into two disordered flat regions, of opposite order parameter. We have carried out extensive classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the Lennard-Jones fcc(111) surface, to check whether these predictions are relevant or not for a realistic continuous system. Very long simulation times, a grid of temperatures from to T_m, and unusually large system sizes are employed to ensure full equilibrium and good statistics. By examining layer-by-layer occupancies, height fluctuations, sublattice order parameter and X-ray structure factors, we find a clear anomaly at 0.83T_m. The anomaly is distinct from roughening (whose incipiency is also detected at 0.94T_m), and is seen to be consistent with the preroughening plus phase separation scenario.     

The dynamical motion of atoms at the Ni(111) surface

One atom phonon spectral densities are presented for the vibrations of atoms at the Ni(111) surface both parallel and perpendicular to the surface. They are also presented for perpendicular motion of an adsorbed oxygen atom and the nickel atom immediately below it. The results are obtained using a continued fraction technique. They are compared with recent EELS data obtained by Ibach and Bruchmann.     

Kinetics of the diffusion of an impurity atom on a fcc(111) surface

An analytical study of the migration of an embedded impurity atom over a solid surface under the influence of the diffusion of vacancies is performed. The case of small surface coverages of both vacancies and impurity atoms is considered. It is shown that the realization of multiple collisions of a single impurity atom with vacancies imparts a Brownian character to its motion. At long times, the dependence of the mean square displacement on the time differs little from the linear, whereas the spatial density distribution is close to the Gaussian, features that makes it possible to introduce a diffusion coefficient. For the latter, an analytical expression is derived, which differs from the product of the diffusion coefficient of vacancies and their relative concentration only by a numerical factor. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient of an impurity atom on the ratio of the frequency of its jumps to the frequency of jumps of vacancies is analyzed. In the kinetic mode, when the frequency of jump ω of the imurity atom is small, the diffusion coefficient of the impurity depends linearly on ω, whereas in the opposite case, a saturation occur and its dependence on the frequency of jumps of the impurity atom disappears.     

Self-organization of gold atoms on a polar FeO(111) surface

The spatial distribution of single Au atoms on a thin FeO film has been investigated by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The adatoms preferentially adsorb on distinct sites of the Moiré cell formed by the oxide layer and the Pt(111) support and arrange into a well-ordered hexagonal superlattice with 25 angstroms lattice constant. The self-organization is the consequence of an inhomogeneous surface potential within the FeO Moiré cell and substantial electrostatic repulsion between the adatoms.     

Electrocompression of the Au(111) surface layer during Au electrodeposition

In situ grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction studies of reconstructed Au(111) electrodes in aqueous electrolyte solutions are presented, which reveal a significantly increased compression of the Au surface layer during Au electrodeposition as compared to Au(111) surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions or in the Au-free electrolyte. The compression increases towards more negative potentials, reaching 5.3% at the most negative potentials studied. It may be explained within a simple thermodynamic model by a release of potential-induced surface stress.     

Free energies of steps on (111) fcc surfaces

For a hexagonal two-dimensional lattice we derive, using a surprisingly simple route, exact expressions for the step free energies along the high symmetry directions, 〈1-10〉 and 〈11-2〉. If we consider only nearest-neighbor interactions, ε, and ignore step overhangs the step free energy vanishes at a temperature . In a more sophisticated model that incorporates step overhangs we find a reduction of T_R to about 0.87ε/k_b. The obtained step free energy expressions are also valid for the free energy of walls between two regions of opposite spins of the triangular 2D Ising system.     

Ranges of implanted atoms under polyatomic cluster bombardment of the Cu (111) surface

A computer simulation of the bombardment of the Cu (111) surface with Cu_N and Au_N polyatomic clusters differing in size (N = 1, 6, and 13) with energies of 0.5 and 5 keV/atom has been performed in the framework of classical molecular dynamics. The spatial distribution of the implanted atoms, their ranges, and range fluctuations (straggling) depending on the size N and energy E/N of the incident cluster has been investigated. It has been shown that an increase in the mean range and range straggling is observed at a fixed energy per incident atom as the cluster size N increases. At the same time, the effect of an increase in the range (at a specified value of E/N) gradually disappears with increasing cluster energy, whereas the effect of an increase in straggling is retained. These tendencies qualitatively agree with the available experimental observations. It has been shown that the dominating contribution to the increase in the atom range of the implanted cluster is made by the so-called clearing-the-way effect, which is weakened with increasing the incident cluster energy. The effect of the range straggling increasing is significantly due to the presence of nonlinear “spike” effects at the bombarded target.     

Ni(111)表面C原子吸附的密度泛函研究

基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算,对过渡金属Ni晶体与Ni (111)表面的结构和电子性质进行了研究, 并探讨了单个C原子在过渡金属Ni (111)表面的吸附以及两个C原子在Ni(111)表面的共吸附. 能带和态密度计算表明, Ni晶体及Ni (111)表面在费米面处均存在显著的电子自旋极化. 通过比较Ni (111)表面各位点的吸附能,发现单个C原子在该表面最稳定的吸附位置为第二层Ni原子上方所在的六角密排洞位, 吸附的第二个C原子与它形成碳二聚物时最稳定吸附位为第三层Ni原子上方所在的面心立方洞位. 电荷分析表明,共吸附时从每个C原子上各有1.566e电荷转移至相邻的Ni原子, 与单个C原子吸附时C与Ni原子间的电荷转移量(1.68e)相当. 计算发现两个C原子共吸附时在六角密排洞位和面心立方洞位的磁矩分别为0.059μ_B和 0.060μ_B,其值略大于单个C原子吸附时所具有的磁矩(0.017μ_B).     

Self-diffusion of small clusters on fcc metal (111) surfaces

We use ab initio density-functional theory supplemented with the embedded-atom method to study the self-diffusion of small clusters on the (111) surface of eight fcc metals. A zigzag motion is found to be important in the dimer and tetramer diffusions. The dimer diffuses by a zigzag and concerted motion. The trimer diffuses by a concerted three-atom motion. The tetramer diffuses through a zigzag motion where only two atoms move simultaneously in each step. Thus, instead of increasing, the migration energy is lowered (or stays constant) for the tetramer as compared to that for the trimer. This novel break of the upwards trend in migration energy is predicted to be a general phenomenon.     

Diffusion driven concerted motion of surface atoms: Ge on Ge(001)

The diffusion of Ge dimers on the Ge(001) surface has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. We have identified three different diffusion pathways for the dimers: diffusion of on-top dimers over the substrate rows, diffusion across the substrate rows, and diffusion of dimers in the trough. We report on a heretofore unknown phenomenon, namely, diffusion driven concerted motion of substrate atoms. This concerted motion is a direct consequence of the rearrangement of substrate atoms in the proximity of the trough dimer adsorption site.     

Diffusion and aggregation of adatoms on faceted Pd/Mo(111) surface

Diffusion of Pd adatoms on faceted Pd/Mo(111) surface with hill and valley structure is studied by kinetic Monte Carlo method. The surface consists of {211} channeled facets separated by concave and convex edges. It is shown that diffusion on the faceted surface is significantly reduced with comparison to diffusion on (112) surface by the presence of concave edges. A simple formula for the diffusion coefficient is proposed. The growth of linear structures, studied at low coverage θ = 0.1, depends on the cross-channel diffusion, although the cross-channel diffusion coefficient is by 6–8 orders of magnitude smaller than the in-channel diffusion coefficient. We observed that most of atomic structures grow in valleys and the average size of the structure increases with increase of facet size.     

Localized surface modes and resonances for vicinal surfaces: The (117) face of fcc crystals

Considering the (117) face of an fcc crystal, the dispersion relations of localized surface modes and resonances have been calculated using the method of generating coefficients of Green functions. The force between atoms are limited to the central force between the nearest neighbours. In the direction of propagation orthogonal to a step, for each wavevector value, a localized surface mode and two resonances have been found. Their polarization amplitude and width have been calculated. It is shown that these results can be qualitatively understood by folding three times the dispersion relation of the (001) face which is the crystallographic plane of the terrace. In the direction parallel to the step, the dispersion relations are obtained by the superposition of the sagittal and transverse dispersion relation of the (001) face. The (117) configuration introduces a coupling between these two polarizations and some resonances appear. A general rule which enables one to predict qualitatively the shape of the dispersion relation for any vicinal surface of type (11m) is expressed.     

Adsorption behavior of Fe atoms on a naphthalocyanine monolayer on Ag(111) surface

Adsorption behavior of Fe atoms on a metal-free naphthalocyanine(H2Nc) monolayer on Ag(111) surface at room temperature has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy combined with density functional theory(DFT)based calculations. We found that the Fe atoms were adsorbed on the centers of H2 Nc molecules and formed Fe–H2Nc complexes at low coverage. DFT calculations show that Fe sited in the center of the molecule is the most stable configuration, in good agreement with the experimental observations. After an Fe–H2Nc complex monolayer was formed, the extra Fe atoms self-assembled to Fe clusters of uniform size and adsorbed dispersively at the interstitial positions of Fe–H2Nc complex monolayer. Therefore, the H2 Nc monolayer grown on Ag(111) could be a good template to grow dispersed magnetic metal atoms and clusters at room temperature for further investigation of their magnetism-related properties.     

Surface states on the copper (111) face

Using Chodorow's potential in the bulk region and a z-dependent potential in the vacuum region, the surface states on Cu(1 11) were investigated. Fitting of a potential parameter to the well known energy of the surface state at $\text{Γ}$ resulted in a reasonable shape of the potential and in an effective mass of the surface state band in accordance with experiment. The state recently observed at $\text{M}$ about 2 eV below E_F could not be described with the present model.     

Symmetry changes in He scattering from a Si(111) surface exposed to H atoms

Changes which occur on, and just below, the surface of a Si(111)-(7×7) crystal when it is dosed with H atoms are complex and still not well described. Measurements of He atom diffraction (HAS) from this surface in the [ 2 ] or [ 11] directions give scans which are asymmetric about the specular angle. The scans become symmetric when the surface is exposed to doses of H atoms sufficient to give coverages of 0.1 to 14 ML, if the atoms all stick. This means that the 3-fold rotational symmetry of the clean surface becomes 6-fold after the addition of the H atoms and shows that the faulted and unfaulted regions of the DAS model become equivalent as they are averaged by the He beam, although the large 49-atom unit cell remains. Thus this surface is not Si(111)-H(1×1), the equilibrated product of H-atom addition which is about 0.3 eV lower in energy, but a metastable intermediate state(s).

Comparison of results from HAS with those from other techniques, such as scanning tunneling microscopy, help to characterize this surface.