Adsorption, Epitaxy and Growth: The Role of Steps in Surface Morphology and Dynamics

成立了一个新的材料研究小组，通过明确研究表面步骤在这些过程中的作用，来研究表面动力学过程，如吸附扩散、刻面、晶体生长和刻蚀。正在使用的实验技术包括扫描隧道显微镜、表面红外吸收光谱、高分辨率低能电子衍射和低能电子显微镜。所应用的理论包括分子动力学和半经验势能最小化、蒙特卡罗模拟、阶跃运动的动力学模型和反应速率理论。人们正在研究氢、氧和氮等简单原子在邻近的镍(100)和银(110)单晶表面上的吸附。这项研究分为三个综合的一般领域：表面的平衡结构和能量，表面的吸附和自扩散，以及台阶运动的动力学。

A new Materials Research Group is established to investigate surface kinetic processes such as adsorbate diffusion, faceting, crystal growth, and etching by explicitly addressing the role of surface steps in these processes. The experimental techniques being utilized include scanning tunnelling microscopy, surface infrared absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction, and low energy electron microscopy. Theory being applied includes molecular dynamics and energy minimization with semi-empirical potentials, Monte Carlo simulation, dynamic modeling of step motion and reaction rate theory. Simple atomic adsorbates such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are being studied on vicinal nickel (100) and silver (110) single crystal surfaces. The research is organized in three integrated general areas: equilibrium structure and energies of surfaces, adsorbate- and self-diffusion on surfaces, and dynamics of step motion.