Growth and coalescence in submonolayer homoepitaxy on Cu(100) studied with high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction

J.-K. Zuo; J. F. Wendelken; H. Dürr; C.-L. Liu

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.3064

Growth and coalescence in submonolayer homoepitaxy on Cu(100) studied with high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction

J.-K. Zuo, J. F. Wendelken, H. Dürr, and C.-L. Liu

Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3064 – Published 9 May 1994

Abstract

By measuring the dependence of the island separation L on the flux F during submonolayer epitaxy on Cu(100), the scaling exponent p in L∼ $F^{- p / 2}$ is determined in the steady-state and island coalescence regimes. In both regimes at low temperature (223 K), a crossover of p is observed from a low-flux value of 1/3 to a high-flux value of 1/2. At elevated temperatures (263–305 K), p∼3/5 is obtained. These results agree with classic nucleation theories and recent Monte Carlo simulations, and imply that the smallest stable island changes directly to a tetramer from a low-temperature dimer with increasing temperature. Dissociation energy calculations using the embedded-atom method support these results.

Received 24 January 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.3064

Authors & Affiliations

J.-K. Zuo, J. F. Wendelken, H. Dürr, and C.-L. Liu

Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri 65804
Department of Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104