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Vol. 7 No. 2 (2015)

Novel Evolution Process of Zn-Induced Nanoclusters on Si(111)-(7×7) Surface

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-015-0036-6
Changjie Zhou
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Yaping Wu
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Xiaohang Chen
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Wei Lin
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Yinhui Zhou
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Junyong Kang
Fujian Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials and Applications, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
Huili Zhu
Department of Physics, School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Junyong Kang

jykang@xmu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 7 No. 2 (2015), Article Number: 194-202

Abstract

A tiny number of Zn atoms were deposited on Si(111)-(7×7) surface to study the evolution process of Zn-induced nanoclusters. After the deposition, three types (type I, II, and III) of Zn-induced nanoclusters were observed to occupy preferably in the faulted half-unit cells. These Zn-induced nanoclusters are found to be related to one, two, and three displaced Si edge adatoms, and simultaneously cause the depression of one, two, and three closest Si edge adatoms in the neighboring unfaulted half-unit cells at negative voltages, respectively. First-principles adsorption energy calculations show that the observed type I, II, and III nanoclusters can reasonably be assigned as the Zn3Si1, Zn5Si2, and Zn7Si3 clusters, respectively. And Zn3Si1, Zn5Si2, and Zn7Si3 clusters are, respectively, the most stable structures in cases of one, two, and three displaced Si edge adatoms. Based on the above energy-preferred models, the simulated bias-dependent STM images are all well consistent with the experimental observations. Therefore, the most stable Zn7Si3 nanoclusters adsorbed on the Si(111)-(7×7) surface should grow up on the base of Zn3Si1 and Zn5Si2 clusters. A novel evolution process from Zn3Si1 to Zn5Si2, and finally to Zn7Si3 nanocluster is unveiled.

Keywords

Nanoclusters Silicon Scanning tunneling microscopy First-principles calculations
Zhou, Changjie, Yaping Wu, Xiaohang Chen, Wei Lin, Yinhui Zhou, Junyong Kang, and Huili Zhu. 2015. “Novel Evolution Process of Zn-Induced Nanoclusters on Si(111)-(7×7) Surface”. Nano-Micro Letters 7 (2):194-202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-015-0036-6.
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