Abstract
AbstractConstructing a mono-atom step-level ultra-flat material surface is challenging, especially for thin films, because it is prohibitively difficult for trillions of clusters to coherently merge. Even though a rough metal surface, as well as the scattering of carriers at grain boundaries, limits electron transport and obscures their intrinsic properties, the importance of the flat surface has not been emphasised sufficiently. In this study, we describe in detail the initial growth of copper thin films required for mono-atom step-level flat surfaces (MSFSs). Deposition using atomic sputtering epitaxy leads to the coherent merging of trillions of islands into a coplanar layer, eventually forming an MSFS, for which the key factor is suggested to be the individual deposition of single atoms. Theoretical calculations support that single sputtered atoms ensure the formation of highly aligned nanodroplets and help them to merge into a coplanar layer. The realisation of the ultra-flat surfaces is expected to greatly assist efforts to improve quantum behaviour by increasing the coherency of electrons.
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Chemistry,Multidisciplinary
Cited by
1 articles.
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