Ln. Bolotov et al., TOPOGRAPHIC STUDY BY SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY OF A 2-DIMENSIONALGRAPHITE FILM ON RE(10(1)OVER-BAR0), Physics of the solid state, 40(8), 1998, pp. 1423-1426
Two-dimensional graphite films on Re(10 (1) over bar 0) were produced
in ultrahigh vacuum by adsorption of benzene vapor on the metal heated
to T = 1800 K. High-resolution Auger spectroscopy used for the film c
haracterization showed the film indeed to have graphitic structure and
monolayer thickness. The surface topography was studied in air by sca
nning-tunneling microscopy. The monolayer thickness was confirmed, and
it was shown that a two-dimensional graphite film has a complex topog
raphy featuring numerous hillocks with linear dimensions of similar to
3000 Angstrom and height differences of similar to 300 Angstrom, whil
e retaining graphitic structure on the atomic scale. The lack of plana
rity of such a film at room temperature is considered to be due to def
ormation occurring under cooling from the temperature of formation dow
n to 300 K, which is caused by the difference in thermal expansion coe
fficients between the graphite sheet and rhenium. (C) 1998 American In
stitute of Physics. [S1063-7834(98)03608-9].