Quantitative LEED analysis of the surface structure of a MgCl2thin film grown on Pd(111)
An epitaxial, ultrathin single-crystal film (12 Angstrom) of MgCl[2] was deposited molecularly onto a Pd single crystal of (111) orientation at a crystal temperature of {approx}650 K. A detailed surface structure determination of this insulating film was performed by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). A low incident LEED beam current (0.36 mu A) was employed to minimize the electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of Cl. The best-fit model for the observed hexagonal MgCl[2](1 x 1) pattern corresponds to the unreconstructed (0001) Cl-terminated plane of alpha-MgCl[2], whose stacking sequence is Cl-Mg-Cl-Cl-Mg-Cl..., with a Pendry R-factor of 0.317. Small relaxations of the surface were found as 0.03 +- 0.03, 0,003 +-0.04 and 0.04 +- 0.08 Angstrom expansions of the first three Mg-Cl interlayer spacings, respectively, and a 0.10 +- 0.06 A contraction of the first Cl-Cl interlayer spacing. These small deviations were probably driven by the loss of the van der Waals interaction at the termination plane, since surface structure data for transition-metal dichalcogenides, which have different intralayer bonding, but the same intertrilayer bonding, report a similar magnitude of interlayer spacing deviations as seen in MgCl[2].
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Director, Office of Energy Research
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 899780
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-40712; SUSCAS; TRN: US200709%%119
- Journal Information:
- Surface Science, Vol. 399, Issue 1; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: 1998; ISSN 0039-6028
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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