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"Devil's staircase" in Pb/Si(111) ordered phases.

M Hupalo1, J Schmalian, M C Tringides

  • 1Department of Physics, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory-USDOE, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|June 6, 2003
PubMed
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Scanning tunneling microscopy revealed that lead on silicon(111) exhibits a "devil's staircase" phase diagram. Ordered phases, observed within a 1.2 to 1.3 monolayer coverage range, follow rules consistent with theoretical models.

Area of Science:

  • Surface Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • The "devil's staircase" describes complex phase transitions in systems with competing interactions.
  • Understanding ordered phases in thin film growth is crucial for materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the ordered phases of lead (Pb) on a silicon(111) surface.
  • To determine if these phases exemplify the "devil's staircase" phenomenon.
  • To compare observed phase structures with theoretical models.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to image and analyze surface structures.
  • Investigated a specific coverage range of lead on silicon(111) (1.2 < theta < 1.3 monolayers).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Identified ordered phases in the Pb/Si(111) system.
  • These phases represent a prime example of the "devil's staircase" phase diagram.
  • Observed phase construction rules align with those in established theoretical models.

Conclusions:

  • The Pb/Si(111) system provides an excellent experimental realization of the "devil's staircase".
  • The observed ordered phases are governed by principles consistent with theoretical predictions for such complex systems.