Film thickness of Pb islands on the Si(111) surface
| Autor: | Matthias A. Popp, Thomas Späth, Regina Hoffmann-Vogel |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Kelvin probe force microscope
Materials science Condensed matter physics Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Annealing (metallurgy) Bilayer General Physics and Astronomy FOS: Physical sciences Island growth 01 natural sciences Quantum size effect 0103 physical sciences Monolayer Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) Work function 010306 general physics Wetting layer |
| DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.2001.05383 |
| Popis: | We analyze topographic scanning force microscopy images together with Kelvin probe images obtained on Pb islands and on the wetting layer on Si(111) for variable annealing times. Within the wetting layer we observe negatively charged Si-rich areas. We show evidence that these Si-rich areas result from islands that have disappeared by coarsening. We argue that the islands are located on Si-rich areas inside the wetting layer such that the $\mathrm{Pb}/\mathrm{Si}$ interface of the islands is in line with the top of the wetting layer rather than with its interface to the substrate. We propose that the Pb island heights are one atomic layer smaller than previously believed. For the quantum size effect bilayer oscillations of the work function observed in this system, we conclude that for film thicknesses below 9 atomic layers large values of the work function correspond to even numbers of monolayers instead of odd ones. The atomically precise island height is important to understand ultrafast ``explosive'' island growth in this system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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