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Mass Flow and Stability of Nanoscale Features on AU(111)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

B. H. Cooper ,
D. R. Peale ,
J. G. Mclean ,
R. Phillips  and
E. Chason
B. H. Cooper
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
D. R. Peale
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 current address: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
J. G. Mclean
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
R. Phillips
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
E. Chason
Affiliation:
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185
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Abstract

We present the use of an STM to make quantitative observations of time-dependent mass flow associated with the decay of two-dimensional clusters on the Au(111) surface. When formed and observed in air, layered islands with well-defined edges located on larger terraces are generally found to decay in such a way that their areas decrease linearly in time over periods ranging from minutes to several hours depending on the island size. This is in contrast to the behavior of similar features formed and observed under ultra high vacuum conditions, which do not appear to decay over experimental periods of several days. The linear decay is consistent with models that have been used previously to describe growth of 2-dimensional clusters on surfaces. We discuss possible decay mechanisms, and the role that adsorbates may play in influencing the decay.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 280: Symposium B – Evolution of Surface and Thin Film Microstructure , 1992 , 37
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1993

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References

REFERENCES

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