Growth And Properties Of Ultrathin Epitaxial Layers

Although there has been steady progress in understanding aspects of epitaxial growth throughout the last 30 years of modern surface science, work in this area has intensified greatly in the last 5 years. A number of factors have contributed to this expansion. One has been the general trend in surface science to tackle problems of increasing complexity as confidence is gained in the methodology, so for example, the role of oxide/metal interfaces in determining the properties of many practical supported catalysts is now being explored in greater detail. A second factor is the recognition of the potential importance of artificial multilayer materials not only in semiconductor devices but also in metal/metal systems because of their novel magnetic properties. Perhaps even more important than either of these application areas, however, is the newly-discovered power of scanning probe microscopies, and most notably scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), to provide the means to study epitaxial growth phenomena on an atomic scale under a wide range of conditions. These techniques have also contributed to revitalised interest in methods of fabricating and exploiting artificial structures (lateral as well as in layers) on a nanometre scale. This volume, on Growth and Properties of Ultrathin Epitaxial Layers, includes a collection of articles which reflects the present state of activity in this field. The emphasis is on metals and oxides rather than semiconductors.

Offers a comprehensive, modern introduction to the subject, taking a truly pedagogical approach. This text will provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding, not only of how chemistry works at surfaces, but also how to understand and probe the dynamics of surface reactions.

Within nanoscience, an emerging discipline is the study of the physics and chemistry of single molecules. Molecules may be considered as the ultimate building blocks, and are therefore interesting for the development of molecular devices and for surface functionalization. Thus, it is interesting to study their properties when adsorbed on a suitable substrate such as a solid or crystal surface, and also for their potential applications in nano- or molecular-electronics and nanosensing. Investigations have been made possible by the advent of high resolution surface imaging and characterization techniques, commonly referred to as Scanning Probe Microscopes. This book focuses on the fascinating properties of the single molecules, and the difference between single molecules and ensembles of molecules is emphasized. As the first book intended for graduate courses in the field, after each chapter, students should be able to answer the question: “What physical or chemical properties do you learn from a single molecule in this particular context?” Contributed by experts across the disciplines, the book provides useful reference material for specialized practitioners in surface science, nanoscience and nanoelectronics. Contents:Introduction:Basic Properties of Metal Surfaces (A L Vázquez de Parga & R Miranda)Basic Properties of Silicon Surfaces (M J Butcher & M Y Simmons)Experimental Methods:Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Scanning Force Microscopy (S Hembacher & F Giessibl)Optical Detection of Single Molecules at Interfaces (B Hecht)Theoretical Methods:Ab Initio Modeling of Molecular Electronics (D Roubtsov et al.)Perturbation Methods in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (W A Hofer)Spectroscopy of Single Molecule(s) on Surfaces:Properties of Single Molecules: Manipulation, Dissociation and Synthesis with the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (K-F Braun & S-W Hla)Single Molecule Vibrational Spectroscopy and Chemistry (J I Pascual & N Lorente)Local Modification of Surfaces Induced by Adsorbed Molecules:Superlattices of Atoms, Molecules and Islands (H Brune)Mobility of Complex Organic Species at Metal Surfaces (J V Barth)Molecular Monolayers on Silicon Surfaces (G P Lopinski & D D M Wayner)Functionalization of Semiconductor Surfaces by Organic Layers: Concerted Cycloaddition versus Stepwise Free-Radical Reaction Mechanisms (A Bilic et al.)Electronic Properties of Single Molecules on Metal Surfaces:Molecular Electronics (R Stadler)Exploring the Catalytic Activity of a Noble Metal: The Ag Catalyzed Ethylene Epoxidation Reaction (M-L Bocquet & A Michaelides) Readership: Graduate students, scientists, researchers in condensed matter physics, physical chemistry, materials and nanoscience. Keywords:Nanoscience;Molecular Electronics;Scanning Probe Microscopy;Molecule-Surface InteractionsKey Features:Each chapter is self-contained and written in a readable style, accessible to a broad audience of non-specialistsAll chapters have been peer-reviewedReviews:“On the whole, the book offers some outstanding reviews of single molecule research in the past decade with a particular emphasis on scanning tunneling microscopy.”Journal of the American Chemical Society “I found all of the articles to be of real interest and to contain information that broadened my existing knowledge. The articles were also helpful in not only presenting current research, but in providing critical comment and highlighting areas for future work. I was also impressed by the balance between experiment and theory … I believe that this book would be a very valuable text for graduate students, teachers and researchers interested in the interaction of organic molecules with surfaces.”Australian Physics

Heteroepitaxial films are commonplace among today's electronic and photonic devices. The realization of new and better devices relies on the refinement of epitaxial techniques and improved understanding of the physics underlying epitaxial growth. This book provides an up-to-date report on a wide range of materials systems. The first half reviews metallic and dielectric thin films, including chapters on metals, rare earths, metal-oxide layers, fluorides, and high-Tc superconductors. The second half covers semiconductor systems, reviewing developments in group-IV, arsenide, phosphide, antimonide, nitride, II–VI and IV–VI heteroepitaxy. Topics important to several systems are covered in chapters on atomic processes, ordering and growth dynamics. Contents: Atomic Interactions and Surface Processes in Heteroepitaxy (J A Venables)Ordering in III–V Semiconductor Alloys (G B Stringfellow)Transition Metal Thin Film Epitaxy (G R Harp)The Growth and Structure of Epitaxial Metal-Oxide/Metal Interfaces (C A Ventrice, Jr. & H Geisler)Heteroepitaxy of Disparate Materials: From Chemisorption to Epitaxy in CaF2/Si(111) (M A Olmstead)Recent Progress in High Tc Superconducting Heterostructures (J Z Wu & S C Tidrow)Strain Accommodation and Relief in GeSi/Si Heteroepitaxy (R Hull & E A Stach)Heteroepitaxial Growth Modes and Morphologies on GaAs Surfaces (B A Joyce & D D Vvedensky)Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Sb-Based Semiconductors (B R Bennett & B V Shanabrook)P-Based Semiconductor Multilayers (M Razeghi)MBE Growth of Wide-Gap Refractory Nitride Epitaxial Films (R J Hauenstein)Epitaxial Growth, Microstructural Characterizations, and Optical Physics of Wide Bandgap II–VI Heterostructures (J Han et al.)Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Narrowgap IV–VI Semiconductors (G Springholz et al.) Readership: Graduate students and professionals who work with or want to work with heteroepitaxial systems. Keywords:Thin Films;Heteroepitaxy;Heterostructures;Heterointerface;III-V Semiconductors;Sb-Based Semiconductors;P-Based Semiconductors;Wide-Gap Refractory Nitrides;Wide-Gap II-VI Semiconductors;Narrow-Gap IV-VI Semiconductors;Transition Metal Thin Films;Epitaxial Metal-Oxide Interface;Epitaxial Fluorides on Si;High Tc Superconductor Heterostructures;Gesi/Si Heteroepitaxy;Strain Relief Mechanisms;Surface Processes;Heterepitaxial Growth Modes;Semiconductor Alloys;Alloy Ordering;Insulators

In a uniform and comprehensive manner the authors describe all the important aspects of the epitaxial growth processes of solid films on crystalline substrates, e.g. processes in which atoms of the growing film mimic the arrangement of the atoms of the substrate. Emphasis is put on sufficiently fundamental and unequivocal presentation of the subject in the form of an easy-to-read review. A large part of this book focuses on the problems of heteroepitaxy. The most important epitaxial growth techniques which are currently widely used in basic research as well as in manufacturing processes of devices are presented and discussed in detail.