TY - JOUR
T1 - Optical fingerprints of Si honeycomb chains and atomic gold wires on the Si (111)-(5× 2)-Au surface
AU - Hogan, Conor
AU - Ferraro, Elena
AU - McAlinden, Niall
AU - McGilp, John
PY - 2013/8
Y1 - 2013/8
N2 - The intensively studied Si(111)-(5×2)-Au surface is reexamined using reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy and density functional theory simulations. We identify distinctive spectral features relating directly to local structural motifs such as Si honeycomb chains and atomic gold wires that are commonly found on Au-reconstructed vicinal Si(111) surfaces. Optical signatures of chain dimerization, responsible for the observed (×2) periodicity, are identified. The optical response, together with STM simulations and first-principles total-energy calculations, exclude the new structure proposed very recently based on the reflection high-energy electron diffraction technique analysis of Abukawa and Nishigaya [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 110 036102 (2013)] and provide strong support for the Si honeycomb chain with the triple Au chain model of Erwin et al. [ Phys. Rev. B 80 155409 (2009)]. This is a promising approach for screening possible models of complex anisotropic surface structures.
AB - The intensively studied Si(111)-(5×2)-Au surface is reexamined using reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy and density functional theory simulations. We identify distinctive spectral features relating directly to local structural motifs such as Si honeycomb chains and atomic gold wires that are commonly found on Au-reconstructed vicinal Si(111) surfaces. Optical signatures of chain dimerization, responsible for the observed (×2) periodicity, are identified. The optical response, together with STM simulations and first-principles total-energy calculations, exclude the new structure proposed very recently based on the reflection high-energy electron diffraction technique analysis of Abukawa and Nishigaya [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 110 036102 (2013)] and provide strong support for the Si honeycomb chain with the triple Au chain model of Erwin et al. [ Phys. Rev. B 80 155409 (2009)]. This is a promising approach for screening possible models of complex anisotropic surface structures.
KW - optical fingerprints
KW - Si honeycomb chains
KW - atomic gold wires
KW - Si (111)-(5× 2)-Au surface
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883140296&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.087401
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.087401
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.087401
M3 - Article
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 111
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 8
M1 - 087401
ER -