Electron-beam damage of C60 films on hydrogen-passivated Si(100)

• Published in: Applied physics letters 1998-01, Vol.72 (3), p.323-325
• Main Authors: Hunt, Michael R. C., Schmidt, Jens, Palmer, Richard E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.120725

We report the effects of medium-energy (3.5 keV) electron-beam irradiation of C60 films between 1 and 4 ML thick grown on Si(100) 2×1-H studied by high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Electron irradiation leads primarily to molecular fragmentation. Initially, molecular fragments are discrete, and saturated with hydrogen, but continued irradiation leads to the formation of a disordered material with a graphitic local structure. Experiments performed on a single monolayer of C60 show that under irradiation, fragments can bond to the substrate via displacement or desorption of the hydrogen atoms bonded to the Si substrate.