AVS 51st International Symposium
    Surface Science Thursday Sessions
       Session SS1-ThM

Paper SS1-ThM5
Fullerene Surfaces as Templates for Cluster Formation: The Interaction with Silicon and Gold

Thursday, November 18, 2004, 9:40 am, Room 210B

Session: Metal Oxide and Clusters III: Supported Cluster Formation and Reactivity
Presenter: P. Reinke, University of Virginia
Authors: P. Reinke, University of Virginia
H. Kroeger, Universitaet Goettingen, Germany
M. Buettner, Universitaet Basel, Switzerland
P. Oelhafen, Universitaet Basel, Switzerland
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Clusters made from different elements are envisaged as building blocks for nanoelectronic devices. The properties of small clusters (@<@100 atoms) exhibit a strong size dependence which allows to tune their properties but places considerable demands on the synthesis of size-selected cluster arrays. The present investigation explores a novel path to the synthesis of size-selected clusters exploiting the strong corrugation and wide range of adsorption sites on the C@sub 60@ surface. Si and Au are the first elements investigated and the possibility to form arrays and network structures will be explored in the future. Amorphous Si (a-Si) and Au were deposited on a fullerene surface and the sequential evolution of the surface and the electronic properties of the interface were observed in-situ by photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) in the ultraviolet and x-ray regime. The growth of the Si on the C@sub 60@ surface begins with the formation of clusters, and analysis of the Si2p core level indicates that they are surrounded by carbon atoms and located interstitially between the C@sub 60@ molecules. As the growth continues the clusters coalesce and an a-Si overlayer forms. The interface contains no SiC covalent bonds and the electronic properties of this sharp interface are determined from the PES data. In contrast, the growth of the Au overlayer begins with the formation of islands, followed by a Vollmer-Weber type growth. The analysis of the core level and valence band spectra yields a wealth of information on the cluster size, electronic structure of the clusters and the interface. A model to describe this behavior will be discussed with special attention to the suitability of the system for cluster array and network formation, and with respect to the future use of highly corrugated surfaces of macromolecule solids to aid these self organization processes.