Correlation Between Substrate Morphology and the Initial Stages of Epitaxial Organic Growth: PTCDA/Ag(111)
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- 作者：Pierre L. Lévesque ; Helder Marchetto ; Thomas Schmidt ; Florian C. Maier ; Hans-Joachim Freund ; Eberhard Umbach
- 刊名：Journal of Physical Chemistry C
- 出版年：2016
- 出版时间：September 1, 2016
- 年：2016
- 卷：120
- 期：34
- 页码：19271-19279
- 全文大小：470K
- 年卷期：0
- ISSN：1932-7455
文摘
We have investigated the initial growth of the first two epitaxial layers of PTCDA on a Ag(111) surface consisting of a distribution of flat (111) terraces, separated by single atomic steps or step bunches with a few point defects. By utilizing the low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) technique in both bright and dark field modes, we are able not only to follow the growth of the first layers but also to distinguish between different rotational and mirror domains and their influence on the growth of subsequent layers. Thus, we learn much about diffusion lengths and barriers, domain sizes, and about the influence of domain boundaries and nucleation centers. The results give deep insight into the growth dynamics, the influence of step orientation, and the quality of the resulting epitaxial layers and lead to the conclusion that the morphology of the substrate surface is likely to be the most influential parameter for the homogeneity of epitaxial layers.