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arXiv · 2602.09361

Interplay of Quantum Size Effect and Tensile Strain on Surface Morphology of Sn(100) Islands

Bing Xia·Xiaoyin Li·Hongyuan Chen·Bo Yang·Jie Cai·Stephen Paolini·Zihao Wang·Zi-Jie Yan·Hao Yang·Xiaoxue Liu·Liang Liu·Dandan Guan·Shiyong Wang·Yaoyi Li·Canhua Liu·Hao Zheng·Cui-Zu Chang·Feng Liu·Jinfeng Jia
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Abstract

The quantum size effect (QSE) and strain effect are two key factors influencing the surface morphology of thin films, which can increase film surface roughness through QSE-induced thickness oscillation and strain-induced island formation, respectively. Surface roughness usually manifests in the early stages of film growth and diminishes beyond a critical thickness. In this work, we employ molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to grow Sn(100) islands with varying thickness N on bilayer graphene-terminated 6H-SiC(0001) substrates. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements reveal an inverse surface roughness effect that highlights the interplay of QSE and misfit strain in shaping the surface morphology of Sn(100) islands. For N =< 10, the islands exhibit flat surfaces, while for N >= 26, the island surfaces become corrugated and patterned. For the intermediate range, i.e., 12 =< N =<24, both flat and patterned surfaces coexist, with the percentage coverage of the patterned surface oscillating as a function of N. By performing density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the unusual surface pattern evolution in our MBE-grown Sn(100) islands is a result of the interplay between QSE-induced surface roughing and tensile strain-induced smoothening effect.

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Bing Xia, Xiaoyin Li, Hongyuan Chen, Bo Yang, Jie Cai, Stephen Paolini, Zihao Wang, Zi-Jie Yan, Hao Yang, Xiaoxue Liu, Liang Liu, Dandan Guan, Shiyong Wang, Yaoyi Li, Canhua Liu, Hao Zheng, Cui-Zu Chang, Feng Liu, Jinfeng Jia. 2026-02-10. Interplay of Quantum Size Effect and Tensile Strain on Surface Morphology of Sn(100) Islands. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c14019

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