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Dynamics of dysprosium silicide nanostructures on Si(001) and (111) surfaces

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Abstract

The growth and coarsening dynamics of dysprosium silicide nanostructures are observed in real-time using photoelectron emission microscopy. The annealing of a thin Dy film to temperatures in the range of 700–1050 °C results in the formation of epitaxial rectangular silicide islands and nanowires on Si(001) and triangular and hexagonal silicide islands on Si(111). During continuous annealing, individual islands are observed to coarsen via Ostwald ripening at different rates as a consequence of local variations in the size and relative location of the surrounding islands on the surface. A subsequent deposition of Dy onto the Si(001) surface at 1050 °C leads to the growth of the preexisting islands and to the formation of silicide nanowires at temperatures above where nanowire growth typically occurs. Immediately after the deposition is terminated, the nanowires begin to decay from the ends, apparently transferring atoms to the more stable rectangular islands. On Si(111), a low continuous flux of Dy at 1050 °C leads to the growth of kinked and jagged island structures, which ultimately form into nearly equilateral triangular shapes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NSF under Grants DMR-0512591 and DMR-0805353 and the AFOSR through the MFEL program. Partial funding for AS-M was provided by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Award Number NRC-27-10-1117). We acknowledge the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory for access to the OK-4 UV free electron laser. The experimental measurements were completed while AS-M, MCZ, and RJN were at North Carolina State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    M. C. Zeman

  2. Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    R. J. Nemanich

  3. Department of Physics, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, 70125, USA

    A. Sunda-Meya

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Zeman, M.C., Nemanich, R.J. & Sunda-Meya, A. Dynamics of dysprosium silicide nanostructures on Si(001) and (111) surfaces. J Mater Sci 49, 1812–1823 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-013-7869-5

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