Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of a Thin Film of Pd sub 2 Si on a Si(100) Substrate

The investigation of a polycrystalline film of Pd sub 2 Si on a Si(100) substrate with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) yields a variety of structures in the STM images. Differnt sample treatments induce various processes which influence the surface of the sample on a microscopic scale. With phot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surface science 1986-07, Vol.181 (1-2), p.313-323
Main Authors: Brunner, A J, Stemmer, A, Rosenthaler, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The investigation of a polycrystalline film of Pd sub 2 Si on a Si(100) substrate with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) yields a variety of structures in the STM images. Differnt sample treatments induce various processes which influence the surface of the sample on a microscopic scale. With photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) the effects of treatments such as aging, air-exposure, and ion sputtering on the Pd sub 2 Si sample have been investigated. The PES data have been used for the interpretation of the corresponding STM images. In some cases the combination of PES and STM which are complementary in the sense that PES yields integral and STM local information is useful for obtaining new insight into the properties and behavior of the sample. On the other hand, some limitations of this combination are shown. By using the tip of the STM as electrode opposite the sample, high electric fields have been applied in order to modify the sample surface locally. The effects of this treatment are discussed in comparison with the effects of ion sputtering. 16 ref.--AA
ISSN:0039-6028