STM study of the initial growth stages of AlF3 on Cu(100)

MORENO LÓPEZ, J.C.; VIDAL, R.A.; PASSEGGI (JR.), M.C.G.; FERRÓN, J.

Rosario (Santa Fe), Argentina, 25-28 Octubre

Congreso; CIASEM2009/SAMIC2009, 10th Inter-American Congress of Electron Microscopy and 1st Congress of the Argentine Society of Microscopy; 2009

Comité Interamericano de Sociedades de Microscopía Electrónica y la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de Microscopía, para el Hemisferio Occidental

By means of scanning tunnelling microscopy, we have studied the initial stages of the aluminium fluoride growth on Cu(100) as a function of coverage and annealing temperature. At the very beginning stage, the study reveals the nucleation of AlF3 islands at the step-edges. Once the steps are saturated, stable dendritic islands nucleate over the terraces, growing in a LBL style up to almost complete the first monolayer. Under annealing, the films seem to be stable up to 700 K, where AlF3 starts to decompose. Square-like islands are observed at this stage.