title: A nitride-based epitaxial surface layer formed by ammonia treatment of silicene-terminated ZrB2.
abstract: We present a method for the formation of an epitaxial  surface layer involving B, N, and Si atoms on a ZrB2(0001) thin film on Si(111). It has the potential to be an insulating growth template for 2D semiconductors. The chemical reaction of NH3 molecules with the silicene-terminated ZrB2  surface was characterized by synchrotron-based, high-resolution core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. In particular, the dissociative chemisorption of NH3 at 400 °C leads to surface  nitridation, and subsequent annealing up to 830 °C results in a solid phase reaction with the ZrB2 subsurface layers. In this way, a new nitride-based epitaxial  surface layer is formed with hexagonal symmetry and a single in-plane crystal orientation.
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Wiggers
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Bui
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friedlein
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada-Takamura
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Kovalgin
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: de Jong