Correlations between In Situ Conductivity and Uniform-Height Epitaxial Morphology in $\mathrm{Pb}/\mathrm{Si}\left(111\right)\text{₋}(7\times 7)$

Journal Article · Tue Feb 23 00:00:00 EST 2016 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.086101· OSTI ID:1249345

Jałochowski, M. ^[1]; Zdyb, R. ^[1]; Tringides, M. C. ^[2]

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1. Maria Curie-Sklodowska Univ., Lublin (Poland)
2. Ames Lab. and Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

The growth of Pb on Si(111)-7x7 at temperatures from 72 K to 201 K has been investigated using in situ electrical resistivity measurements and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). For temperatures T>140 K the specific resistivity ρ(θ) vs coverage θ shows an unusual "hump", instead of the expected monotonic decrease with θ. This novel result correlates well with the formation of uniform height 8-layer Pb islands and the superdiffusive motion of the wetting layer, despite the low temperatures. A model of the film resistivity as two resistors in series, the amorphous wetting layer and the crystalline islands, explains quantitatively the resistivity dependence on θ.

• Research Organization: Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC0207CH11358; 2014/13/B/ST5/04442
• OSTI ID: 1249345
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1238822
• Report Number(s): IS-J-8964; PRLTAO
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 116, Issue 8; ISSN 0031-9007
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE