Abstract
Atomic-scale structure of the growth of a gold film on (1 1 2) plane of Mo single crystal was investigated by means of low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) up to two monolayers (ML) of gold coverage. Both LEED and STM results establish that Au grows on Mo(1 1 2) in a layer-by-layer mode, for at least the first two monolayers. A number of ordered structures are formed and both the first and second layers adopt the Mo(1 1 2) 1 × 1 surface structure upon completion. For some gold layers on Mo(1 1 2), notably the 1.66 monolayer 3 × 1 and 1.75 monolayer 4 × 1 gold overlayers, we find evidence of a phase transition associated with increasing disorder in gold layers with structural corrugation and anisotropic band structure. The signature of this phase transition, at temperatures in the range of 400-500 K, is a sharp decrease in the overlayer effective Debye temperature.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4796-4800 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Applied Surface Science |
Volume | 256 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 May 15 |
Keywords
- Debye temperature
- Electron-phonon coupling
- Gold overlayers
- Phase transitions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films