Original scientific paper

Early Stages of Gold and Silver Growth on α-MoTe₂, β-MoTe₂ and WTe₂

Albert Prodan ; Institute Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Slovenia
Velibor Marinković ; Institute Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Slovenia
Saw W. Hla ; Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimalle 14, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
Nina Ramšak ; Institute Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Slovenia
Frank W. Boswell ; Guelph-Waterloo Program for Graduate Work in Physics, Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
J. Craig Bennett ; Department of Physics, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B0P 1X0

Abstract

The early stages of growth of gold and silver on (001) surfaces of α-MoTe₂, β-MoTe₂ and WTe₂ were studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy. Metals were deposited at room temperature at a rate of about one monolayer per minute. It is shown that, prior to the epitaxial growth of the noble metal, a local interaction between the impinging atoms and the substrate takes place. During this period the noble-metal atoms diffuse through vacancies in the top tellurium layer and occupy enlarged interstices in the chalcogen-metal-chalcogen sandwich layers, where they agglomerate into one-atom-thick islands. Their shape and size depend on the stress between them and the substrate, and they remain stable at room temperature.

Keywords

surface structure; surface reaction; scanning tunneling microscopy; noble metals; transition-metal dichalcogenides

Hrčak ID:

132178

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/132178

Publication date:

1.9.1999.

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