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The Growth and Crystalline Structure of Ultrathin Mn Films on Ni(111)
Author(s) -
Song Jiaming,
Kuch Wolfgang
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.201800173
Subject(s) - wetting layer , annealing (glass) , scanning tunneling microscope , materials science , low energy electron diffraction , metastability , monolayer , crystallography , atmospheric temperature range , electron diffraction , wetting , diffraction , condensed matter physics , nanotechnology , chemistry , optics , composite material , organic chemistry , physics , meteorology
The growth and crystalline structure of ultrathin Mn films are studied in terms of thickness and temperature by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as well as medium‐ and low‐energy electron diffraction. We show that the Mn films deposited at room temperature exhibit a thickness‐dependent growth behavior with a layer‐by‐layer growth mode up to 5.3 monolayers. Two transitions in the growth mode can be observed in this range. Atomically resolved STM images of a submonolayer of Mn on Ni(111) reveal a lateral lattice distortion which becomes less significant after the islands form a wetting layer at room temperature. The low‐temperature‐deposited wetting layer shows a metastable lattice distortion which vanishes after annealing to room or higher temperatures. This phenomenon may be attributed to a temperature‐dependent metastable arrangement of the Mn adlayer as well as the distinct interaction strength between Mn–Mn and Mn–Ni atoms. Low‐temperature‐grown thick Mn films exhibit a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode with a stable ( 3 × 3 ) R 30° reconstruction, which remains stable up to room temperature.