Interaction between Cu atoms and isolated In-111 probe atoms on a Cu(100) surface - art. no. 165425

摘要

Perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy offers a detailed picture of the sites and mobility of individual In-111 probe atoms deposited under various conditions onto Cu(100) surfaces. Generally four sites can be distinguished: the adatomic terrace and step sites, plus the substitutional terrace and step sites. After investigating the behavior of In on flat Cu(100) surfaces we address some specific issues: the interaction between In adatoms and Cu islands, the surface segregation of In after deposition of extra Cu layers, and the interaction between substitutional In terrace atoms with Cu adatoms. We conclude that In atoms strongly prefer substitutional terrace sites; they try to keep this environment during subsequent Cu deposition. Our measurements do not support the proposed surfactant mechanism of In on Cu(100), in which Cu adatoms reach a lower terrace by pushing out an In atom at a step edge. [References: 24]