Creation of an Atomic Superlattice by Immersing Metallic Adatoms in a Two-Dimensional Electron Sea
- 9 January 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 92 (1), 016101
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.92.016101
Abstract
Cerium adatoms, deposited on a Ag(111) surface, are found by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to self-assemble into large ordered hexagonal arrays covering macroscopically the entire surface. We show that the 32 Å periodicity of the superlattice is caused by the interaction of surface-state electrons with Ce adatoms and that the large-scale formation of the superlattice is governed by a subtle balance between the sample temperature, the surface diffusion barrier, and the concentration-dependent adatom interaction potential.Keywords
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