title: KCl ultra-thin films with polar and non-polar surfaces grown on Si(111)7 × 7.
abstract: The growth of ultra-thin KCl films on the Si(111)7 × 7 reconstructed surface has been investigated as a function of KCl coverage and substrate temperature. The structure and morphology of the films were characterized by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Detailed analysis of the atomically resolved STM images of islands grown at room and high temperatures (400 K-430 K) revealed the presence of KCl(001) and KCl(111) islands with the ratio between both structures depending on the growth temperature. At room temperature, the growth of the first layer, which covers the initial Si(111)7 × 7 surface, contains double/triple atomic layers of KCl(001) with a small fraction of KCl(111) islands. The high temperature growth promotes the appearance of large KCl(111) areas, which are built up by three atomic layers. At room and high temperatures, flat and atomically well-defined ultra-thin KCl films can be grown on the Si(111)7 × 7 substrate. The formation of the above mentioned (111) polar films is interpreted as a result of the thermally activated dissociative adsorption of KCl molecules on Si(111)7 × 7, which produces an excess of potassium on the Si surface.
authors: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CINaM UMR 7325, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors: Igor
authors: I
authors: Beinik
authors: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CINaM UMR 7325, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors: Clemens
authors: C
authors: Barth
authors: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CINaM UMR 7325, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors: Margrit
authors: M
authors: Hanbücken
authors: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CINaM UMR 7325, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors: Laurence
authors: L
authors: Masson
references: Phys Rev Lett. 2000 Dec 18;85(25):5376-9
references: 11136000
references: Chem Rev. 2013 Jun 12;113(6):4073-105
references: 23206162
references: Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Jan 21;94(2):026803
references: 15698209
references: Science. 2007 Aug 31;317(5842):1203-6
references: 17761878
references: J Am Chem Soc. 2011 Feb 9;133(5):1203-5
references: 21192107
references: Small. 2009 Oct;5(19):2177-82
references: 19517481
references: J Phys Condens Matter. 2012 Nov 28;24(47):475507
references: 23110874
references: Phys Rev B Condens Matter. 1996 Sep 15;54(11):7705-7708
references: 9984441
references: J Phys Condens Matter. 2012 Sep 5;24(35):354006
references: 22899017
references: Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Jan 8;86(2):252-5
references: 11177804