Abstract
The adsorption and growth of Xe layers on the Cu(111) surface were studied with a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. Initially, Xe atoms preferentially adsorb at the step, revealing two different wetting behaviors at the upper and the lower step edges at the coverage of <0.1 monolayer. Three-dimensional island growth is followed on the terrace at the coverage of >0.2 monolayer when grown at <20 K. The island growth is attributed to inhomogeneous nucleation and lower diffusivity of Xe on the Xe monolayer than on the Cu(111) surface. The diffusion barriers, the two-dimensional barrier on a terrace and the one-dimensional barrier along a step, and the step-down barrier determine the growth morphology of Xe layers as the substrate temperature was raised.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 16934-16940 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
Volume | 60 |
Issue number | 24 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1999 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics