Atomic, molecular and cluster dynamics on flat and stepped surfaces

✍ Scribed by Tien T Tsong

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 613 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0079-6816
• DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6816(00)00017-4

✦ Synopsis

Surface diusion is responsible for transport of atoms at the surface. It is therefore essential for understanding many surface phenomena where transport of atoms and molecules are involved. Using the ®eld ion microscope and scanning tunneling microscope, we have directly observed many elementary surface atomic and molecular processes at terraces and steps and have measured the activation barrier heights of these processes, and have also studied their atomic mechanisms in detail. For Si(111) surface, transport of atoms above 4508C appears to be achieved by magic clusters of about 10±15 atoms in size, and their diusion behavior is very dierent from those of individual atoms and molecules. We discuss how atom dynamics aects the growth behavior, island shape transitions, and growth modes in the growth of crystals and epitaxial ®lms.