Origins of nanoscale heterogeneity in ultrathin films.
A key challenge in thin-film growth is controlling structure and composition at the atomic scale. We have used spatially resolved electron scattering to measure how the three-dimensional composition profile of an alloy film evolves with time at the nanometer length scale. We show that heterogeneity during the growth of Pd on Cu(001) arises naturally from a generic step-overgrowth mechanism relevant in many growth systems.
Hannon
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JB
IBM Research Division, T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA. jbhannon@us.ibm.com
Sun
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J
Pohl
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Kellogg
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