Scanning-tunneling-microscopy studies of Ag on Si(100)-(2 x 1)

An ab initio approach to anisotropic alloying into the Si(001) surface

By employing density functional theory calculations, we explore the initial stage of competitive alloying of co-deposited silver and indium atoms into a silicon surface. In particular, we identify respective adsorption positions and activation barriers governing their diffusion on a dimer-reconstructed silicon surface. Furthermore, we develop a growth model that appropriately describes diffusion mechanisms and silicon morphology with the account of silicon dimerization and the presence of C-type defects. Based on the surface kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we examine the dynamics of bimetallic adsorption and elaborate on the temperature effects on the submonolayer growth of an Ag-In alloy. A close inspection of adatom migration clearly indicates effective nucleation of Ag and In atoms, followed by the formation of orthogonal atomic chains. We show that the epitaxial bimetallic growth might potentially lead to exotic ordering of adatoms in the form of anisotropic two-dimensional lattices via orthogonally oriented single-metal rows. We argue that this scenario becomes favorable provided above room temperature, while our numerical results are shown to be in agreement with the experimental findings.

Isolated and assembled silver aggregates on the Si(001) surface: the initial stage of film formation

We examined the dynamics of adsorption and the subsequent growth of submonolayered silver on Si(001) from 100 K to 230 K, using scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory. The dynamics is demonstrated to depend on substrate temperature, as described in the following three stages: (I) at 100-140 K, silver is adsorbed as isolated aggregates (regular-Ag4, variant-Ag4 and Ag2), in the absence of single silver adatoms. The spontaneous formation of silver aggregates arises from the hot-atom motion upon the initial impingement of individual silver atoms onto the Si(001) substrate. (II) At 140-190 K, the migration of isolated Ag-aggregates is sufficiently activated, leading to the formation of Ag-chains by surface polymerization. (III) At 190-230 K, there is implication that the Ag-chains become mobile on Si(001), en route to forming patches of 2×2 Ag-films by agglomeration.

Identification of Tetramers in Silver Films Grown on the Si(001) Surface at Room Temperature

We describe the atomic structure of the silver film grown on Si(001) at room temperature, as studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory. Experiment and theory agree on a film structure in which Ag tetramers are identified for the first time. Ag tetramers are found to be adsorbed exclusively at the trough between two Si rows, interacting with four adjacent Si dimers via covalent bonding. Consequently, the π bonds of the Si dimers underneath the silver film are eliminated.

Initial Growth of Ag/Si(100) Studied with High Spatial Resolution Aes and Sem

The initial growth of Ag on reconstructed Si(100) has been studied with biassed secondary electron imaging (b-SEI) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning transmission microscope (STEM) with nanometer resolution. Small Ag islands have been observed with strong contrast in b-SE images. Anisotropic growth, correlated with the (2×1) and (1×2) dimer reconstruction, is seen at room temperature and sub-monolayer (ML) coverage. Large Ag islands (∼1 μm) formed at 475 °C substrate temperature have even more dramatic forms with large aspect ratios. The Stranski-Krastanov (SK) mode is confirmed at both temperatures by AES and b-SEI between the islands, with the intermediate layer coverage equal to 0.5 ML or less.

Comparing the growth of PVD silver nanoparticles on ultra thin fluorocarbon plasma polymer films and self-assembled fluoroalkyl silane monolayers

Adsorbed silver nanoparticles were prepared by means of electron beam evaporation of silver on ultra thin Si-supported heptadecafluoro-1-decene plasma polymer films and self-assembled heptadecafluorodecyl-trimethoxysilane monolayers. The morphology of the silver nanoparticles, characterized by their size, size distribution, shape and interparticle separation, was observed to depend on the type, chemical composition and surface energy of the sub-layer as well as the amount of silver deposited. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy was used to study the change in the morphology of the silver nanoparticles as a function of the preparation parameters. The silver nanoparticles on the ultra thin plasma polymer films demonstrated a much smaller and narrower size distribution due to the cross-linking within the film, which more effectively hinders the penetration of silver through the film in comparison to the self-assembled monolayers. Moreover, the optical properties of the resulting silver nanoparticles on the ultra thin fluorocarbon plasma polymers and their correlation to size and size distribution were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the wavelength range between 300 and 800 nm.