Interfactant-mediated quasi-Frank–van der Merwe growth of Pb on Si(111)

Abstract

The influence of interfactants ͑Au, Ag͒ on the growth of Pb on Si͑111͒ is studied by low-energy electron microscopy in the temperature range from 260 K to 460 K. On the Si͑111͒-(7ϫ7) surface Pb grows in the Stranski-Krastanov mode, on the Si͑111͒-(ͱ3ϫͱ3)R30°-Au and on the Si͑111͒-(6ϫ6)-Au surface in the quasi-Frank-van der Merwe ͑layer-by-layer͒ mode. On the Si͑111͒-(ͱ3ϫͱ3)R30°-Ag surface the growth mode changes from layer-by-layer below 300 K to the Stranski-Krastanov mode above 300 K. The temperature dependence of the growth cannot be explained by thermodynamics but is governed by kinetics. The analysis of the maximum island density in terms of the atomistic nucleation theory gives acceptable values for nucleus size and energies only in the layer-by-layer growth regime. In the Stranski-Krastanov growth regime abnormal values are obtained that are attributed to high cluster mobility on the initial two-dimensional layer. The conditions leading to quasi-Frank-van der Merwe growth are discussed.

Preparation of silica films on Ru(0001): A LEEM/PEEM study

“…[34] The measured activation energy is connected with both the binding energy E i of the critical cluster and its diffusion energy E d . [35] Since (i) the energy of a covalent bond is a few times higher than that of a metallic bond and (ii) the ring structure of silica might demand a complete ring as a stable cluster (i.e.…”

Implementation of diverse non-centrosymmetric layer concepts for tuning the interface activity of a magnesium alloy

“…With the resistance of the resulting polymer films to rinsing with water, they seem to be promising candidates for application not only as surfactants but also as interfactants, should further films be intended to be grown on top of a polymer-coated surface. Unlike surfactants which are active at the surface of (multi)layer systems, the concept of interfactants was introduced for layers which are more strongly bound to the substrate than the film to be grown [30], and which affect the kinetics of the subsequently growing molecular layers. Interfactant layers are generally discussed in the context of growth occurring from species adsorbed from the gas phase, and they may form wetting layers separating molecular films from a substrate [31] and constituting a diffusion barrier [32].…”

Chemical Tuning of Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces

“…All molecular beam epitaxy was performed via evaporation from e-beam-heated crucibles. Reconstructions with well-defined periodicities were chosen as the interfactant layers because they provide the ordered surface necessary to grow smooth films that can support quantum well states [26,27].…”