Spatial Variation of Au Coverage as the Driving Force for Nanoscopic Pattern Formation

Frank-J. Meyer zu Heringdorf; Th. Schmidt; S. Heun; R. Hild; P. Zahl; B. Ressel; E. Bauer; M. Horn-von Hoegen

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.5088

Spatial Variation of Au Coverage as the Driving Force for Nanoscopic Pattern Formation

Frank-J. Meyer zu Heringdorf, Th. Schmidt, S. Heun, R. Hild, P. Zahl, B. Ressel, E. Bauer, and M. Horn-von Hoegen

Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5088 – Published 28 May 2001

Abstract

Au induced faceting of a $4 °$ vicinal Si(001) surface was studied with chemical resolution using soft x-ray photoemission electron microscopy. For the first time a direct and quantitative determination of the local Au coverage in situ and during deposition was possible. Au atoms, necessary for the expansion of (001) terraces, are accummulated from a lattice gas, resulting in a phase separation between Au enriched terraces and Au depleted step bunches. During a second stage Au also adsorbs on the step bunches and transforms them into (119) facets. A simple Monte Carlo simulation shows that the initial coverage difference between terraces and bunches determines the regularity of the formed mesoscopic grating.

Received 9 October 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.5088

Authors & Affiliations

Frank-J. Meyer zu Heringdorf^1,*, Th. Schmidt^2,†, S. Heun², R. Hild^1,‡, P. Zahl¹, B. Ressel², E. Bauer³, and M. Horn-von Hoegen^1,§

¹Institut für Festkörperphysik, Universität Hannover, Appelstraße 2, 30167 Hannover, Germany
²ELETTRA, Sincrotrone Trieste, 34012 Basovizza TS, Italy
³Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287

^*Present address: IBM, T. J. Watson Research Center, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598.
^†Present address: Institut für Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
^‡Present address: Institut für Laser und Plasmaphysik, Universität Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany.
^§