2011
DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.107.136103
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Anomalous Decay of Electronically Stabilized Lead Mesas on Ni(111)

Abstract: With their low surface free energy, lead films tend to wet surfaces. However, quantum size effects (QSE) often lead to islands with distinct preferred heights. We study thin lead films on Ni(111) using low energy electron microscopy and selected area low energy electron diffraction. Indeed, the grown lead mesas show distinct evidence for QSE's. At about 526 K metastable mesas reshape into hemispheres within milliseconds, driven by a huge reduction in interfacial free energy. The underlying diffusion rate is ma… Show more

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Cited by 18 publications
(21 citation statements)
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“…Analysis is shown in fig. 4 The nucleation experiments reported in this study have extended earlier work [21][22][23][24][25][26] on Pb/Si(111) with several techniques showing a very unusual type of diffusion, but none of these earlier experiments have examined the "explosive" nucleation. First non-classical fast mass transport was observed in coarsening experiments, well after nucleation, with surface X-ray scattering.…”
Section: In Addition To the Preferential Directional Growth Of Indivimentioning
confidence: 64%
“…Analysis is shown in fig. 4 The nucleation experiments reported in this study have extended earlier work [21][22][23][24][25][26] on Pb/Si(111) with several techniques showing a very unusual type of diffusion, but none of these earlier experiments have examined the "explosive" nucleation. First non-classical fast mass transport was observed in coarsening experiments, well after nucleation, with surface X-ray scattering.…”
Section: In Addition To the Preferential Directional Growth Of Indivimentioning
confidence: 64%
“…The main access road to these Friedel oscillations in a film is through calculations. Experimentally, direct access is impossible, but QSE have been observed in electron reflectivity for electrons above the vacuum level, both in integral measurements [34][35][36] and in position-resolved experiments [37][38][39][40][41] . However, because of their unique geometry, the Ir wires would offer a unique and viable opportunity to access the relationship between size selection and Friedel oscillations in a most direct manner.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…For increasing coverage the main spot intensity moves gradually from the less dense (7 × 7) domains at θ Pb/Ni ≈ 0.51 ML to the denser (4 × 4) domains at θ Pb/Ni ≈ 0.55 ML, as is reflected in the line profiles shown as insets in figure 2(a). This remarkable two-domain structure of the wetting layer was not anticipated and is found to disappear at 520-525 K, resulting in the anomalous transition of Pb mesas into hemispheres [20]. With the nearest-neighbor distance in bulk lead being 3.50 Å and the known generic tendency for tensile surface stress [21], we suggest that the (7 × 7) domains in the wetting layer involve tensile stress.…”
Section: Wetting Layer Propertiesmentioning
confidence: 73%