Related papers: On the structure of the Si(103) surface
Density functional theory has been employed to study graphene on the (111), (100) and (110) surfaces of silicon (Si) substrates. There are several interesting findings. First, carbon atoms in graphene form covalent bonds with Si atoms, when…
A new structural model for the Si(331)-(12x1) reconstruction is proposed. Based on scanning tunneling microscopy images of unprecedented resolution, low-energy electron diffraction data, and first-principles total-energy calculations, we…
Alumina (Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$) is a key material for thin-film growth and heterogeneous catalysis, where the atomic surface structure critically impacts performance. Using noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) combined with density…
Controlling the surface structure on the atomic scale is a major difficulty for most transition metal oxides; this is especially true for the ternary perovskites. The influence of surface stoichiometry on the atomic structure of the…
We address the stability of the surface phases that occur on the C-side of 3C-SiC($\bar{1} \bar{1} \bar{1}$) at the onset of graphene formation. In this growth range, experimental reports reveal a coexistence of several surface phases. This…
The c(6x2) is a reconstruction of the SrTiO3(001) surface that is formed between 1050-1100oC in oxidizing annealing conditions. This work proposes a model for the atomic structure for the c(6x2) obtained through a combination of results…
The deposition of one silicon monolayer on the silver (111) substrate in the temperature range 150-300$^\circ$C, gives rise to a mix of (4$\times$4), ($2\sqrt{3}\times 2\sqrt{3}$)R30$^\circ$ and ($\sqrt{13}\times\sqrt{13}$)R13.9$^\circ$…
The nature of the alpha-Sn/Ge(111) surface is still a matter of debate. In particular, two possible configurations have been proposed for the 3x3 ground state of this surface: one with two Sn adatoms in a lower position with respect to the…
A magnetite (Fe3O4) single crystal (111) surface has been studied at various oxygen-iron surface stoichiometries. The stoichiometry was modified by controlling the in-situ sample anneal conditions. We have found the conditions that lead to…
Unlike silicene, for which the demonstration of its existence has been done through numerous independent studies, the possibility of growing epitaxial germanene remains highly controversial. It has been recently shown by scanning tunneling…
In this paper we report on several structures of silicene, the analog of graphene for silicon, on the silver surfaces Ag(100), Ag(110) and Ag(111). Deposition of Si produces honeycomb structures on these surfaces. In particular, we present…
The geometrical and electronic structure properties of $<100>$ and $<110>$ silicon nanowires in the absence of surface passivation are studied by means of density-functional calculations. As we have shown in a recent publication [R. Rurali…
Motivated by recent electron microscopy studies on the Si3N4/rare-earth oxide interfaces, the atomic and electronic structures of bare beta-Si3N4 surfaces are investigated from first principles. The equilibrium shape of a Si3N4 crystal is…
We report on the investigation of the atomic and electronic structures of a clean Si(331)-(12$\times$1) surface using a first-principles approach with both plane wave and strictly localized basis sets. Starting from the surface structure…
Silicon self-assembly at step edges in the initial stage of homoepitaxial growth on a vicinal Si(111) surface is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The resulting atomic structures change dramatically from a parallel array of…
Silicene, the silicon equivalent of graphene, is attracting increasing scientific and technological attention in view of the exploitation of its exotic electronic properties. This novel material has been theoretically predicted to exist as…
Classical molecular-dynamics simulations have been carried out to investigate densification mechanisms in silicon dioxide thin films deposited on an amorphous silica surface, according to a simplified ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD)…
Locally, the atomic structure in well annealed amorphous silicon appears similar to that of crystalline silicon. We address here the question whether a point defect, specifically a vacancy, in amorphous silicon also resembles that in the…
We present here a comprehensive search for the structure of the Si(553)-Au reconstruction. More than two hundred different trial structures have been studied using first-principles density-functional calculations with the SIESTA code. An…
A new silicene-like family of reconstructed surfaces on Si111 are discussed which appears to be a polymorph to the well know family of surface reconstructions best epitomized by the 7x7 surface. Several experimental features are discussed…