387 research outputs found
Magic Islands and Barriers to Attachment: A Si/Si(111)7x7 Growth Model
Surface reconstructions can drastically modify growth kinetics during initial
stages of epitaxial growth as well as during the process of surface
equilibration after termination of growth. We investigate the effect of
activation barriers hindering attachment of material to existing islands on the
density and size distribution of islands in a model of homoepitaxial growth on
Si(111)7x7 reconstructed surface. An unusual distribution of island sizes
peaked around "magic" sizes and a steep dependence of the island density on the
growth rate are observed. "Magic" islands (of a different shape as compared to
those obtained during growth) are observed also during surface equilibration.Comment: 4 pages including 5 figures, REVTeX, submitted to Physical Review
Si(111) strained layers on Ge(111): evidence for c(2x4) domains
The tensile strained Si(111) layers grown on top of Ge(111) substrates are
studied by combining scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron
diffraction and first-principles calculations. It is shown that the layers
exhibit c(2x4) domains, which are separated by domain walls along
directions. A model structure for the c(2x4) domains is proposed, which shows
low formation energy and good agreement with the experimental data. The results
of our calculations suggest that Ge atoms are likely to replace Si atoms with
dangling bonds on the surface (rest-atoms and adatoms), thus significantly
lowering the surface energy and inducing the formation of domain walls. The
experiments and calculations demonstrate that when surface strain changes from
compressive to tensile, the (111) reconstruction converts from
dimer-adatom-stacking fault-based to adatom-based structures
Four-point probe measurements using current probes with voltage feedback to measure electric potentials
We present a four-point probe resistance measurement technique which uses
four equivalent current measuring units, resulting in minimal hardware
requirements and corresponding sources of noise. Local sample potentials are
measured by a software feedback loop which adjusts the corresponding tip
voltage such that no current flows to the sample. The resulting tip voltage is
then equivalent to the sample potential at the tip position. We implement this
measurement method into a multi-tip scanning tunneling microscope setup such
that potentials can also be measured in tunneling contact, allowing in
principle truly non-invasive four-probe measurements. The resulting measurement
capabilities are demonstrated for BiSbTe and Si samples
Structure of steps on As-passivated Si(111): Ab initio calculations and scanning tunneling microscopy
The structures of terrace steps on As-covered Si(111) are examined using ab initio calculations. In scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images, two orientations of steps are found to terminate As-covered Si islands after annealing: [11 (2) over bar] and [(11) over bar2]. Total energy calculations and simulations of STM images yield detailed information on the atomic structures of the steps: In the lowest-energy configuration for both orientations, surplus As atoms replace any exposed Si atoms at the steps. The As atoms rearrange to establish a threefold coordination. For [11 (2) over bar] steps the atom positions of the relaxed configuration are very close to the ideal bulk positions, but for [(11) over bar2] steps the terminating As atoms form dimers in front of the steps. The different atomic structures of the two step orientations clearly show up in the simulated STM images for negative bias (occupied states imaged), the STM images for positive bias (unoccupied states) are much less distinctive. All features of existing experimental positive-bias STM images can be explained by an analysis of the electronic local density of states. With the calculated step energies we construct a phase diagram for the equilibrium shape of As-covered islands. In the accessible range of As chemical potentials between As bulk and As-4 molecules, we expect either triangular islands terminated by [11 (2) over bar] steps or hexagons with long edges of [11 (2) over bar] orientation and short ones with [(11) over bar2] orientation
Etched graphene quantum dots on hexagonal boron nitride
We report on the fabrication and characterization of etched graphene quantum
dots (QDs) on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and SiO2 with different island
diameters. We perform a statistical analysis of Coulomb peak spacings over a
wide energy range. For graphene QDs on hBN, the standard deviation of the
normalized peak spacing distribution decreases with increasing QD diameter,
whereas for QDs on SiO2 no diameter dependency is observed. In addition, QDs on
hBN are more stable under the influence of perpendicular magnetic fields up to
9T. Both results indicate a substantially reduced substrate induced disorder
potential in graphene QDs on hBN
Structure of self-organized Fe clusters grown on Au(111) analyzed by Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction
We report a detailed investigation of the first stages of the growth of
self-organized Fe clusters on the reconstructed Au(111) surface by grazing
incidence X-ray diffraction. Below one monolayer coverage, the Fe clusters are
in "local epitaxy" whereas the subsequent layers adopt first a strained fcc
lattice and then a partly relaxed bcc(110) phase in a Kurdjumov-Sachs epitaxial
relationship. The structural evolution is discussed in relation with the
magnetic properties of the Fe clusters.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Physical Review B September 200
Growth and magnetism of self-organized arrays of Fe(110) wires formed by deposition on kinetically grooved W(110)
Homoepitaxy of W(110) and Mo(110) is performed in a kinetically-limited
regime to yield a nanotemplate in the form of a uniaxial array of hills and
grooves aligned along the [001] direction. The topography and organization of
the grooves were studied with RHEED and STM. The nanofacets, of type {210}, are
tilted 18° away from (110). The lateral period could be varied from 4 to
12nm by tuning the deposition temperature. Magnetic nanowires were formed in
the grooves by deposition of Fe at 150°C on such templates. Fe/W wires
display an easy axis along [001] and a mean blocking temperature Tb=100KComment: Proceedings of ECOSS 2006 (Paris
Comparative study of dimer vacancies and dimer-vacancy lines on Si(001) and Ge(001)
Although the clean Si(001) and Ge(001) surfaces are very similar, experiments
to date have shown that dimer-vacancy (DV) defects self-organize into vacancy
lines (VLs) on Si(001), but not on Ge(001). In this paper, we perform
empirical-potential calculations aimed at understanding the differences between
the vacancies on Si(001) and Ge(001). We identify three energetic parameters
that characterize the DVs on the two surfaces: the formation energy of a single
DV, the attraction between two DVs in adjacent dimer rows, and the strain
sensitivity of the formation energy of DVs and VLs. At the empirical level of
treatment of the atomic interactions (Tersoff potentials), all three parameters
are favorable for the self-assembly of DVs on the Si(001) surface rather than
on Ge(001). The most significant difference between the defects on Si(001) and
on Ge(001) concerns the formation energy of single DVs, which is three times
larger in the latter case. By calculating the strain-dependent formation
energies of DVs and VLs, we propose that the experimental observation of
self-assembly of vacancies on clean Ge(001) could be achieved by applying
compressive strains of the order of 2%.Comment: 3 tables, 4 figures, to appear in Surface Scienc
Atmospheric number size distributions of soot particles and estimation of emission factors
International audienceNumber fractions of externally mixed particles of four different sizes (30, 50, 80, and 150 nm in diameter) were measured using a Volatility Tandem DMA. The system was operated in a street canyon (Eisenbahnstrasse, EI) and at an urban background site (Institute for Tropospheric Research, IfT), both in the city of Leipzig, Germany as well as at a rural site (Melpitz (ME), a village near Leipzig). Intensive campaigns of 3?5 weeks each took place in summer 2003 as well as in winter 2003/2004. The data set thus obtained provides mean number fractions of externally mixed soot particles of atmospheric aerosols in differently polluted areas and different seasons (e.g. at 80 nm on working days, 60% (EI), 22% (IfT), and 6% (ME) in summer and 26% (IfT), and 13% (ME) in winter). Furthermore, a new method is used to calculate the size distribution of these externally mixed soot particles from parallel number size distribution measurements. A decrease of the externally mixed soot fraction with decreasing urbanity and a diurnal variation linked to the daily traffic changes demonstrate, that the traffic emissions have a significant impact on the soot fraction in urban areas. This influence becomes less in rural areas, due to atmospheric mixing and transformation processes. For estimating the source strength of soot particles emitted by vehicles (veh), soot particle emission factors were calculated using the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM). The emission factor for an average vehicle was found to be (1.5±0.4)·1014 #/(km·veh). The separation of the emission factor into passenger cars ((5.8±2)·1013 #/(km·veh)) and trucks ((2.5±0.9)·1015 #/(km·veh)) yielded in a 40-times higher emission factor for trucks compared to passenger cars
Demonstration of astrocytes in cultured amniotic fluid cells of three cases with neural-tube defect
We have investigated the origin of rapidly adhering (RA) cells in three cases of neural tube defects (two anencephali, one encephalocele). We were able to demonstrate the presence of glial fibrillary acidic (GFA) protein in variable percentages (4–80%) of RA cells cultured for 4–6 days by use of indirect immunofluorescence with GFA antiserum. Cells cultured from amniotic fluids of normal pregnancies and fetal fibroblasts were completely GFA protein negative. GFA protein is well established as a highly specific marker for astrocytes. Demonstration of astrocytes may prove to be a criterion of high diagnostic value for neural tube defects. The percentage of astrocytes decreased with increasing culture time, while the percentage of fibronectin positive cells increased both in amniotic fluid cell cultures from neural tube defects and normal pregnancies
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