Growing extremely thin bulklike metal film on a semiconductor surface: Monolayer Al(111) on Si(111)

We report combined scanning tunneling microscopy, x-ray photoelectron emission spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and theoretical study of the growth of ultrathin Al film on the Si(111) substrate. We show that by (i) a modification of the substrate reconstruction with a 3×3 surface and (ii) a choice of materials with commensurate lattices, atomically flat film can be obtained even at the ultimate one monolayer limit, while maintaining a bulklike atomic structure. Detailed analysis shows that this monolayer Al(111)-1×1 film is electronically decoupled from the Si substrate, and it shows metallic characteristics.

[1]  E. Wang,et al.  Quantum size effect induced dilute atomic layers in ultrathin Al films , 2007 .

[2]  M. Chou,et al.  Persistent superconductivity in ultrathin Pb films: a scanning tunneling spectroscopy study. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[3]  Yang Guo,et al.  Superconductivity Modulated by Quantum Size Effects , 2004, Science.

[4]  A. Locatelli,et al.  Tuning surface reactivity via electron quantum confinement. , 2004, Physical review letters.

[5]  Q. Xue,et al.  Two-dimensional growth of Al films on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 at low-temperature , 2004 .

[6]  W. Barnes,et al.  Surface plasmon subwavelength optics , 2003, Nature.

[7]  B. Steele,et al.  Materials for fuel-cell technologies , 2001, Nature.

[8]  L. J. Chen,et al.  Correlation between quantized electronic states and oscillatory thickness relaxations of 2D Pb islands on Si(111)-(7 x 7) surfaces. , 2001, Physical review letters.

[9]  G. Kresse,et al.  From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method , 1999 .

[10]  Zhenyu Zhang,et al.  Novel Growth of Ag Islands on Si(111): Plateaus with a Singular Height , 1999 .

[11]  Zhenyu Zhang,et al.  ``Electronic Growth'' of Metallic Overlayers on Semiconductor Substrates , 1998 .

[12]  Burke,et al.  Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[13]  Kuo-Jen Chao,et al.  Formation of Atomically Flat Silver Films on GaAs with a "Silver Mean" Quasi Periodicity , 1996, Science.

[14]  A. Slavin.  Growth modes of ultrathin metal films on dissimilar metal substrates , 1995 .

[15]  Bauer,et al.  Experimental evidence for quantum-size-effect fine structures in the resistivity of ultrathin Pb and Pb-In films. , 1992, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[16]  Hamers.  Effects of coverage on the geometry and electronic structure of Al overlayers on Si(111). , 1989, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[17]  J. Northrup.  Si(111)3×3-Al: An Adatom-Induced Reconstruction , 1984 .

[18]  T. C. Mcgill,et al.  Lattice match: An application to heteroepitaxy , 1984 .

[19]  H. Monkhorst,et al.  SPECIAL POINTS FOR BRILLOUIN-ZONE INTEGRATIONS , 1976 .

[20]  F. K. Schulte.  A theory of thin metal films: electron density, potentials and work function , 1976 .