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Kinetic Roughening During Rare-Gas Homoepitaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

E. Nabighian
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, California 95616
M. C. Bartelt
Affiliation:
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94550
X.D. Zhu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, California 95616
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Abstract

Using an optical reflectivity difference technique, we monitored the growth of multilayer Xe films on a commensurate monolayer of Xe on Ni(111), from 35 to 60K. A transition occurs near 40K, from rough growth at low temperature to quasi-layer-by-layer growth characterized by persistent oscillations in the reflectivity difference. We discuss this transition in terms of changes in the island formation process and the onset of second layer nucleation. The Xe sticking coefficient at 40K is obtained from the period of the oscillations in the reflectivity difference. We find that the sticking coefficient decreases with increasing fihn thickness at fixed Xe pressure.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

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