First-principles study of adsorption and diffusion on Ge/Si(0 0 1)-(2 × 8) and Ge/Si(1 0 5)-(1 × 2) surfaces

Using first-principles total-energy calculations, we have investigated the adsorption and diffusion of Si and Ge adatoms on Ge/Si(0 0 1)-(2 × 8) and Ge/Si(1 0 5)-(1 × 2) surfaces. The dimer vacancy lines on Ge/Si(0 0 1)-(2 × 8) and the alternate S_A and rebonded S_B steps on Ge/Si(1 0 5)-(1 × 2) are found to strongly influence the adatom kinetics. On Ge/Si(0 0 1)-(2 × 8) surface, the fast diffusion path is found to be along the dimer vacancy line (DVL), reversing the diffusion anisotropy on Si(0 0 1). Also, there exists a repulsion between the adatom and the DVL, which is expected to increase the adatom density and hence island nucleation rate in between the DVLs. On Ge/Si(1 0 5)-(1 × 2) surface, the overall diffusion barrier of Si(Ge) along direction is relative fast with a barrier of ∼0.83(0.61) eV, despite of the large surface undulation. This indicates that the adatoms can rapidly diffuse up and down the (1 0 5)-faceted Ge hut island. The diffusion is also almost isotropic along [0 1 0] and directions.     

Growth of single-domain monatomic In chain arrays on the vicinal Si(0 0 1) surface

Using the annealed vicinal Si(0 0 1) surface with 4° miscut toward the [1 1 0] direction as a substrate, single-domain monatomic In chain arrays have been fabricated. High-resolution STM images reveal that deposited In atoms preferentially form In dimers between two neighboring Si dimer rows along the step edges on the lower terrace. Formation of In dimers removes the surface dangling bonds and saturates the In valency. With increasing coverage, the In dimers develop into straight monatomic In chains along the step running direction. It is found that the ordered narrow terrace and rebonded double-layer (D_B) step edge are the keys for the formation of monatomic In chains.     

Adsorption and diffusion of a Si adatom on the H/Si(1 1 1) surface: comparison with the H/Si(0 0 1) surface

Using a first-principles method, we investigate the adsorption and diffusion of a Si adatom on the H-terminated Si(1 1 1) substrate, which would be useful in understanding the initial stages of Si homoepitaxy using a H surfactant. The adatom substitutes H atom(s) to form a monohydride structure or a dihydride structure. In forming the monohydride structure, the energy barrier for H substitution is absent. The adatom migrates on the surface with alternating its chemical state between monohydride and dihydride. These behaviors of the adatom are quite similar to those on the H/Si(0 0 1)2 × 1 surface, despite the significant difference in the substrate structure between both orientations. The resulting diffusion barrier is 1.30 eV, which is also comparable to that on the H/Si(0 0 1)2 × 1 surface.     

“Rotating” steps in Si(0 0 1) homoepitaxy

Steps on Si(0 0 1) surfaces which are initially not aligned along the high symmetry directions of the dimer reconstruction are observed, by scanning tunneling microscopy, to “rotate” toward [1 1 0] directions during Si growth. This step “rotation” occurs due to a faceting of the step edges. A theoretical analysis of adatom incorporation into the steps shows that this kinetic instability may be caused by a suppressed mobility of the growing species along the S_A step edge.     

The interaction of carbon with Si(1 1 1):As and Si(1 1 1):H surfaces, a theoretical study

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to determine the adsorption site of carbon at the Si(1 1 1):As and Si(1 1 1):H surfaces at different coverages. The As- and H-passivated surfaces were simulated by replacing the topmost Si layer by As or by saturating the Si dangling bonds with hydrogen atoms, respectively. Different high symmetry sites were considered. Carbon was placed successively in the fourfold (T₄) or threefold coordinated (H₃), the ontop (T₁) sites or substituted for a Si atom in the S₅ position located underneath the Si adatom in the T₄ site. We found that the preferred carbon adsorption site depends on the coverage of the passivated surfaces. At low coverages i.e. at 1/16 ML and 1/3 ML, it prefers a distorted T₄ position whereas at 1 ML, it occupies an H₃ site. This contrasts with the clean surface where the most energetically favored site is the S₅ at all coverages. Carbon adsorption induces a significant change in the structural geometry of the surface atoms, leading to a charge re-arrangement in the surface layers.     

Electron beam induced effects on gas adsorption utilizing auger electron spectroscopy: Co and O2 on Si: I. Adsorption studies

The effect of electron beam monitored gas adsorption on the clean Si surface is studied using Auger electron spectroscopy. It is shown that the beam affects the AES adsorption signal of CO and O₂ on Si by dissociating the adsorbed molecules on the surface and subsequently promoting diffusion of atomic oxygen into the bulk. A qualitative explanation of the adsorption data is presented and the initial sticking probability of O₂ on Si (111) surface is estimated to be S0 = 0.21.     

DFT study of NH3 dissociation on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7. The role of intermolecular interactions

The adsorption of NH₃ molecule on the Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 surface modelled with a cluster has been studied using density functional theory (DFT). The results indicate the existence of a precursor state for the non-dissociative chemisorption. The active site for the molecular chemisorption is the adatom; while the NH₃ molecule adsorbs on the Si restatom via this preadsorbed state, the adsorption on the Si adatom is produced practically without an energy barrier. The ammonia adsorption on the adatom induces an electron transfer from the dangling bond of this atom to the dangling bond of the adjacent Si restatom, hindering this site for the adsorption of a second NH₃ incoming molecule. However, this second molecule links strongly by means of two H-bonds. The dissociative chemisorption process was studied considering one and two ammonia molecules. For the dissociation of a lonely NH₃ molecule an energy barrier of ∼0.3 eV was calculated, yielding NH₂ on the adatom and H on the restatom. When two molecules are adsorbed, the NH₃-NH₃ interaction yields the weakening of a N-H bond of the ammonia molecule adsorbed closer the Si surface. As a consequence, the dissociation barrier practically disappears. Thus, the presence of a second NH₃ molecule at the adatom-restatom pair of the Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 surface makes the dissociative reaction self-assisted, the total adsorption process elapsing with a negligible activation barrier (less than 0.01 eV).     

A first-principles surface phase diagram study for Si-adsorption processes on GaAs(1 1 1)A surfaces

The adsorption processes of an Si atom on GaAs(1 1 1)A surfaces under growth conditions are investigated on the basis of first-principles surface phase diagrams, in which adsorption-desorption behavior is described by comparing the calculated adsorption energy obtained by total-energy electronic-structure calculations with vapor-phase chemical potential estimated by quantum statistical mechanics. The calculated surface phase diagram as functions of temperature and As₂ pressure demonstrates that both Ga and As atoms are adsorbed on the Ga-vacancy site of GaAs(1 1 1)A-(2×2) surface under low As-pressure conditions, resulting in the formation of (2×2) surface with an As adatom. The surface phase diagrams as functions of temperature and Si pressure also reveal that an Si atom can be adsorbed on the (2×2) surface with an As adatom for temperatures less than ∼1160 K and this Si atom can occupy one of As-lattice sites after the incorporation of another As atom, leading to p-type conductivity. In contrast, the (2×2) surface with an As trimer is found to be stabilized under high As-pressure conditions. The surface phase diagram for Si incorporation clarify that an Si atom can be adsorbed at one of Ga-lattice sites of the (2×2) surface with an As trimer for temperatures less than ∼870 K. These calculated results provide one of possible explanations for the formation of p-type and n-type GaAs on GaAs(1 1 1)A surfaces under low and high As-pressure conditions, respectively.     

FI-STM STUDY OF HYDROGEN ADSORPTION ON Si(100) SURFACE

Chemisorption of atomic hydrogen on the Si(100)2×1 surface has been investigated in detail by using a field ion-scanning tunneling microscope (FI-STM). The results showed that the adsorption geometry changed from the 2×1 monohydride phase to the 1×1 dihydride phase with increasing exposure of hydrogen. The data of desorption of the hydrogen-saturated Si surface showed that on annealing at 670K the surface becomes highly disordered: the 1×1 dihydride structure is eliminated and the 2×1 reconstructed monohydride is also hardly to identify. When the temperature rises to as high as 730 K, the surface is domi-nated by the 2×1 structure with missing dimer rows, and some adatom chains occur on the Si substrate ler-races. We attribute the formation of these atomic chains to an epitaxial growth of Si atoms which are formed by the dissociation of SiH_x (x= 1, 2, 3 or 4) compounds on the Si surface.     

Adsorption sites of Ge adatoms on stepped Si(110) surface

We have investigated the possible adsorption sites of Ge adatoms on stepped Si(110) surface by total electronic energy calculations using the empirical tight-binding method. It has been found that Ge adatoms prefer to bond to the Si atoms at or near the step. In the case of more than one adatom the minimum total electronic energy configuration corresponds to the maximum number of saturated Si atoms.     

First principles calculations of the adsorption and diffusion of Y on the Si(0 0 1)-c(4 × 2) surface

We have studied the adsorption and diffusion of yttrium on the Si(0 0 1)-c(4 × 2) surface in the early stages of growth. Our first principles total energy calculations are based on the density functional theory as implemented in the SIESTA code. The exchange and correlation energies are treated within the generalized gradient approximation according to the Perdew, Burke and Ernzerhof parametrization. Our results demonstrate that the most favorable adsorption site is in the trench between two silicon dimer rows, identified as valley-bridge (V). Our studies show that the diffusion of an Y adatom on Si(0 0 1)-c(4 × 2) surface presents an anisotropic behavior. We found two values for the barriers along the valley (0.54 and 1.07 eV) and one of 1.24 eV in the perpendicular direction, showing that diffusion along the valley is more probable. The analysis of the Mulliken overlap populations shows that the bonding between an Y adatom and the surface is partially covalent. Two Y atoms on the surface do not form dimers instead they are adsorbed as adatoms.     

Si中S0对、Se0对和Te0对的电子结构

利用紧束缚近似下的格林函数方法,讨论了Si中(S⁰)₂,(Se⁰)₂及(Te⁰)₂基态的能级和波函数。分析了几种不同的观点。(S⁰)₂,(Se⁰)₂及(Te⁰)₂均在禁带中引入一个对称性的A_1g能级和一个反对称性的A_2u能级,二者都是填满的。现有实验观测到的是较高的A_1g能级。从理论上指出了对称性的A_1g能级反而高于反对称性的能级的原因。而Si中(Se₂)⁺的g因子测量值和(S₂)⁺,(Se₂)⁺的ESR实验结果也支持本文的观点。 关键词：     

Atomic steps on the Si(111) surface during submonolayer gold adsorption

The effect of adsorption of submonolayer gold coatings on the Si(111) surface morphology in the temperature range 850–1260°C has been investigated by means in situ ultrahigh-vacuum reflection electron microscopy and ex situ atomic force microscopy. Reversible transformations of the silicon surface: from regular monoatomic steps to step bunches, depending on the gold coverage and direction of the electric current resistively heating the crystal, have been revealed. Stability of the regular distribution of monoatomic steps upon heating of the crystal by an alternating current is shown. The effect of an electric field applied to the sample on the diffusion of silicon and gold adatoms has been analyzed taking into account the effective adatom charge.     

Vertical conduction in thin Si/CaF2/Si structures

Electrical characteristics of thin (∼100Å), single barrier Si/CaF₂/Si heterostructures have been measured for the first time for both A and B phase CaF₂. I(V,T) measurements for different thickness CaF₂ barriers show characteristics that are consistent with conduction through defect sites in the CaF₂ layer. The B-phase CaF₂ exhibits far more defects than the A -phase material. Measurements of different size mesas indicate a defect density on the order of one per 1000μm² in the 100Å barrier thickness A-phase material.     

Effect of kink-rounding barriers on step edge fluctuations

The effect that an additional energy barrier E_kr for step adatoms moving around kinks has on equilibrium step edge fluctuations is explored using scaling arguments and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. When mass transport is through step edge diffusion, the time correlation function of the step fluctuations behaves as C(t)=A(T)t^1/4. At low temperatures the prefactor A(T) shows Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy (E_det+3?)/4 if E_kr<? and (E_det+E_kr+2?)/4 if E_kr>?, where ? is the kink energy and E_det is the barrier for detachment of a step adatom from a kink. We point out that the assumption of an Einstein relation for step edge diffusion has lead to an incorrect interpretation of step fluctuation experiments, and explain why such a relation does not hold. The theory is applied to experimental results on Pt(1 1 1) and Cu(1 0 0).     

Transformation of a Si(111) stepped surface during the formation of a Si(3 × 1)Ca superstructure

The morphological changes of a Si(111) stepped surface during the formation of a Si(3 × 1)Ca surface structure have been studied using ultra high vacuum reflection electron microscopy (UHV REM). Monoatomic step clustering during surface reconstruction and an influence of adatom electromigration on step clustering have been found. The mechanism and conditions of step cluster formation during superstructural transitions are discussed.     

Chlorine adsorption on Si(1 1 1) studied by optical methods

The adsorption process of chlorine on Si(1 1 1) has been studied by means of real time surface differential reflectance (SDR) spectroscopy and second harmonic generation (SHG). The structure observed at 3.6 eV in SDR spectra is attributed to transitions including Si–Cl antibonding states. However, the overall feature is due to the removal of the electronic states of the clean surface. Developments of adsorption on Si adatom dangling bonds and breaking of adatom back bonds are obtained from SDR spectra and second harmonic (SH) intensity. They are well fit by the solutions of the rate equations under the assumption of adsorption of atoms without migration, and the initial sticking probability on the dangling bonds and the initial breaking probability of the back bonds are determined. Dependence of the adsorption kinetics on the carrier concentration is briefly reported.     

The simulation study for the nanometer-scale selective growth of Si islands on Si(0 0 1) windows in ultrathin SiO2 films

The nanometer-scale selective growth of Si islands on Si(0 0 1) windows in ultrathin SiO₂ films are studied using the kinetic Monte Carlo simulation. The growth of Si islands is reproduced in simulation where we assume that the migration barrier energy for Si adatom on SiO₂ film is far lower than that on the Si surface at the window.     

First-principle study of Mg adsorption on Si（111） surfaces

We have carried out first-principle calculations of Mg adsorption on Si(111) surfaces. Different adsorption sites and coverage effects have been considered. We found that the threefold hollow adsorption is energy-favoured in each coverage considered, while for the clean Si(111) surface of metallic feature, we found that 0.25 and 0.5 ML Mg adsorption leads to a semiconducting surface. The results for the electronic behaviour suggest a polarized covalent bonding between the Mg adatom and Si(111) surface.     

Molecular precursor-mediated methanol dissociation on Si(1 1 1)7 × 7: ab initio study

We present an ab initio study of methanol interaction with the Si(1 1 1)7 × 7 surface using a Si(1 1 1)4 × 2 model. The study of the methanol dissociation on Si(1 1 1)4 × 2 shows that pair dissociation on adatom-restatom dangling bonds is largely favoured, in agreement with the experimental observations. The “center” type adatom is slightly more reactive than the “corner” type one, although the difference is weak. Similar behaviour is observed in both adatom types. Our results for a direct CH₃OH dissociation favouring a basic cleavage (adsorption of OH and CH₃ fragments) rather than an acidic one (adsorption of H and OCH₃ fragments), we are finally led to take a kinetic effect into consideration to reconcile theory with experiment. We show that the presence of molecular precursor states is possible. Different orientations with respect to the silicon dangling bonds of these molecular precursors are investigated. However, the corresponding energies are very close and, considering their relative energies, it is finally difficult to discriminate between acidic and basic cleavages.