Search

The evolution of polytypism duringGaAs nanowire growth was investigatedby in situ X-ray diffraction. The growth of nanowires was found tostart with the formation of zincblende structure, followed by thegrowth of wurtzite structure. The growth process was well reproducedby a simulation based on a layer-by-layer nucleation model. The goodagreement between the measured and simulated results confirms thatnucleation costs higher energy for the stackings changing the crystalstructure than for those conserving the preceding structure. The transitionin prevalent structure can be accounted for by the change of localgrowth conditions related to the shape of a triple phase line ratherthan by the change in supersaturation level, which quickly reachessteady state after starting growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction has been applied to the in situ monitoring of the molecular beam epitaxial growth of self-assembled InAs/GaAs(001) quantum dots (QDs). As well as the strain distribution inside QDs, the lateral and vertical size of QDs was determined as a function of growth time. In combination with post-growth atomic force microscopy, the evolution of the total volume of QDs was evaluated. It was found that the QD volume increases at a similar rate over the temperature range of 450-480 °C. A significant mass transport from the wetting layer and the substrate was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and evolution of rotational twin (TW) domains introduced by a stacking fault during molecular-beam epitaxial growth of GaAs on Si (111) substrates were studied by in situ x-ray diffraction. To modify the volume ratio of TW to total GaAs domains, GaAs was deposited under high and low group V/group III (V/III) flux ratios. For low V/III, there was less nucleation of TW than normal growth (NG) domains, although the NG and TW growth rates were similar. For high V/III, the NG and TW growth rates varied until a few GaAs monolayers were deposited; the mean TW domain size was smaller for all film thicknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an anomalous lattice deformation of GaN layers grown on SiC(0001) by molecular beam epitaxy. The evolution of the lattice parameters during the growth of the GaN layers was measured by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The lattice parameters in the directions parallel and normal to the surface showed significant deviation from the elastic strains expected for lattice-mismatched films on substrates up to a thickness of 10 nm. The observed lattice deformation was well explained by the incorporation of hydrostatic strains due to point defects. The results indicate that the control of point defects in the initial stage of growth is important for fabricating GaN-based optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate local atomic structures around Co in high temperature diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor Co-doped TiO2, x-ray fluorescence holography and x-ray absorption fine structure experiments were carried out on rutile paramagnetic Ti0.99Co0.01O2 and ferromagnetic Ti0.95Co0.05O2 films. The Co atoms in the Ti0.99Co0.01O2 simply substituted for Ti sites in the rutile structure, whereas a suboxidic arrangement of CoO2Ti4 formed around Co in the Ti0.95Co0.05O2 films. A theoretical investigation based on a series of first-principles calculations indicated the stability of the aggregated suboxidic clusters in the rutile TiO2, supporting our hypothesis for the formation of suboxidic coordination in the highly Co-doped sample. The suboxidic coordination may be the source of strong exchange interaction, resulting in the high Curie temperature in Co-doped TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local structures around Nb and Pb in the prototypical relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) were investigated by x-ray fluorescence holography. The separate atomic images of nearest Pb around Nb revealed acute and obtuse rhombohedral structures of the crystal unit cells. The Pb-Pb correlated images showed a local structure of body-center-like 2a0 × 2a0 × 2a0 superlattice, proving a rigid three-dimensional network structural model combining the two kinds of rhombohedrons. The Pb atoms in the networks are positionally stable, while the other Pb atoms are fluctuating. This superstructure and the fluctuating Pb and Nb atoms are believed to play an important role in the relaxor behavior of PMN at the atomic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The interfacial structures of Ag bilayer prepared by underpotential deposition on Au(111) (Ag(2ML)/Au(111)) were determined by ex situ scanning tunneling microscopy and in situ surface X-ray scattering measurements before and after oxidative adsorption and after reductive desorption of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of hexanethiol (C6SH) in alkaline ethanol solution. While no structural change was observed after oxidative formation of C6SH SAM on the Ag(2ML)/Au(111) in an ethanol solution containing 20 mM KOH and 0.1 mM C6SH, some of the Ag atoms in the bilayer were stripped when the SAM was reductively desorbed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]