Characterizing the CdSe nanodots in the vicinity of the monolayer covering range

During the past decade, due to their large number of technological applications, a large number of research studies have been devoted to CdSe nanocrystal (NC) systems. Most of the studies of NC grown on substrates present in the literature correspond to a submonolayer coverage. However, interparticle interactions and, consequently, system morphology and its properties can change at higher coverage regime. We combine the X-ray diffraction technique at wide and small angle range with direct space AFM microscopy for the morphological characterization of samples in the monolayer vicinity. We conclude that the CdSe preserves its nanoparticle character and its pyramid shape. This nanoparticle character is also reflected in the CdSe Density Of States (DOS) measured by UPS. We have shown that the particle CdSe atoms are perfectly ordered. They form nanocrystals with a wurtzite structure, grown with an axial and lateral matching with the HOPG substrate lattice in a hexagonal arrangement up to the monolayer coverage, with a strong interaction with the substrate. Above the monolayer coverage this epitaxial match is looser, resulting in a 3D disorder growth.