Nanomeasurements of electronic and mechanical properties of fullerene embedded Si(111) surfaces

摘要

This study describes the feasibility of fabricating of a single layer of fullerene embedded Si surface through a controlled self-assembly mechanism in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber. The characteristics of the fullerene embedded Si surface are investigated directly using UHV-scanning probe microscopy. Additionally, the band gap energy and field emission parameters, including turn-on field and the field enhancement factor β of the fullerene embedded Si substrate, are determined using a high-voltage source measurement unit and UHV-scanning tunneling microscopy, respectively. Moreover, the nanomechanical properties, which represent the stress of the fullerene embedded Si substrates, are assessed by an environment atomic force microscope (AFM) and UHV-AFM, respectively. Results of this study demonstrate that a single layer of the fullerene embedded surface has superior properties for nanotechnology applications owing to the ability to control the self-assembly mechanism of fabrication.