Cluster Assembly of Interfaces: Nanoscale Engineering

摘要

Overlayer structures can be formed on surfaces by the deposition of clusterscontaining hundreds or thousands of atoms. Cluster assembly alters the reaction pathway at the surface so that novel structures with unique chemical and physical properties can be stabilized. This article discusses the process of cluster assembly. Cluster assembled interfaces are compared to those obtained by conventional techniques, and examples are given for metal-semiconductor high temperature superconductor system. The importance of interfaces in an expanding number of disciplines has resulted in a proliferation of research, both experimental and theoretical, that focuses on their novel properties. Interfaces, defined as the spatial regions between two dissimilar materials, are vital to the production of electronic devices, the incorporation of materials such as the high temperature super conductors (HTSs) into multicomponent systems, the development of better catalysts, the synthesis of composites, and the creation of materials based on interface-governed structures. Examples of solid-solid interfaces include metal overlayers grown on semiconductors and contacts formed on HTSs.