Ag growth on N-modified Cu(111) surfaces: potential three-dimensional quantum confinement structures

• Published in: Surface science Vol. 464; no. 2; pp. L752 - L758
• Main Authors: York, S.M., Jenkins, C.R., Silva, S.L., Leibsle, F.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-10-2000; Amsterdam Elsevier Science; New York, NY
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Copper; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Epitaxy; Exact sciences and technology; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nitrogen atom; Physics; Scanning tunneling microscopy; Silver; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Scanning tunneling microscopy; Silver; Nitrogen atom; Copper; Epitaxy; Confinement; Atomic layer method; Quantum wells; Growth mechanism; Experimental study; STM; Island structure
• ISSN: 0039-6028; 1879-2758
• DOI: 10.1016/S0039-6028(00)00753-6

Scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to study the growth of Ag on clean and N-modified Cu(111) surfaces. N forms elongated rectangular islands on Cu(111) surfaces. These islands can cordon off areas of the clean surface. Deposited Ag is found to grow in a layer-by-layer fashion in these confined areas. Using this method, we have created three-dimensional Ag islands with thicknesses for which one could expect quantum well behavior to occur.