| Title: |
Labyrinthine Island Growth during Pd/Ru(0001) Heteroepitaxy |
| Authors: |
Rougemaille, Nicolas, Gabaly, Farid El, Stumpf, Roland, Schmid, Andreas K., Thürmer, Konrad, Bartelt, Norman C., De La Figuera, Juan |
| Source: |
Physical Review Letters 99, 10 (2007) 106101 |
| Publication Year: |
2007 |
| Collection: |
Condensed Matter |
| Subject Terms: |
Condensed Matter - Materials Science |
| More Details: |
Using low energy electron microscopy we observe that Pd deposited on Ru only attaches to small sections of the atomic step edges surrounding Pd islands. This causes a novel epitaxial growth mode in which islands advance in a snakelike motion, giving rise to labyrinthine patterns. Based on density functional theory together with scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron microscopy we propose that this growth mode is caused by a surface alloy forming around growing islands. This alloy gradually reduces step attachment rates, resulting in an instability that favors adatom attachment at fast advancing step sections. |
| Document Type: |
Working Paper |
| DOI: |
10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.106101 |
| Access URL: |
http://arxiv.org/abs/0711.2491 |
| Accession Number: |
edsarx.0711.2491 |
| Database: |
arXiv |
