Physics Commons^™

Ultrafast High-Energy Electron Diffraction Study Of Photoexcited Bismuth Nanoclusters By Femtosecond Laser Pulses, Ahmed R. Esmail

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The advancement in ultrafast electron crystallography (UEC) over the past few decades facilitated the study of structural dynamics in all phases of matter induced by femtosecond laser pulses. This technique became very powerful when the spatial resolution was combined with the temporal resolution, and succeeded in studying chemical reactions by ultrafast electron diffraction, bulk crystal phonons and melting by X-ray diffraction.

In this dissertation, I demonstrate the uniqueness of UEC and its potential in monitoring in real time the structural dynamics of bismuth (Bi) nanoclusters and islands induced by femtosecond laser pulses. Our approach to accomplish this task includes building …

Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction Studies Of Indium Phosphide (100) And Growth On Indium And Indium Nitride On Silicon (100), Mohamed Abd-Elsattar Hafez

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Study of the effects of atomic hydrogen exposure on structure and morphology of semiconductor surfaces is important for fundamental properties and applications. In this dissertation, the electron yield of a hydrogen-cleaned indium phosphide (InP) surface was measured and correlated to the development of the surface morphology, which was monitored by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Atomic hydrogen treatment produced a clean, well-ordered, and (2x4)-reconstructed InP(100) surface. The quantum efficiency, after activation to negative electron affinity, and the secondary electron emission were shown to increase with hydrogen cleaning time. RHEED patterns of low-index InP(100) surface were modified by the …

Condensation On (002) Graphite Of Liquid Bismuth Far Below Its Bulk Melting Point, M. K. Zayed, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Condensation of thermally evaporated Bi on (002) graphite, at temperatures of 300-523K, was studied using in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and room temperature ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). For deposition at temperatures below 415±5K, transmission RHEED patterns of Bi appeared at an average thickness of ∼0.5 monolayer (ML). AFM images showed that the film consisted of crystallites in the shape of triangular step pyramids with step heights corresponding to single and double Bi layers in the [111] direction. This morphology indicates crystallization from the vapor. For deposition at higher temperatures, diffuse RHEED patterns appeared independent of the …

Time-Resolved Structural Study Of Low-Index Surfaces Of Germanium Near Its Bulk Melting Temperature, Xinglin Zeng, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The structure of the low-index surfaces of germanium near its bulk melting temperature is investigated using 100-ps time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The surface is heated by 100-ps laser pulses while a synchronized electron beam probes the structure. Ge(111)was observed to remain in its incomplete melting structure up to at least T_m + 134 ± 40 K when heated by a 100-ps laser pulse. Both the Ge(100) and Ge(110) surfaces are observed to melt near the bulk melting temperature when heated with 100-ps laser pulses. Because of the low-diffraction intensity-to-background ratio at high temperatures and because of the temperature …

Time-Resolved Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction Study Of The Ge(111)-C(2×8)-(1×1) Phase Transition, Xinglin Zeng, Bo Lin, Ibrahim El-Kholy, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The dynamics of the Ge(111)-c(2×8)-(1×1) phase transition is investigated by 100-ps time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. A laser pulse heats the surface while a synchronized electron pulse is used to obtain the surface diffraction pattern. Slow heating shows that the adatoms in Ge(111)-c(2×8) start to disorder at ∼510 K and are converted to a disordered adatom arrangement at 573 K. For heating with 100-ps laser pulses, the Ge(111)-c(2×8) reconstructed adatom arrangement starts to disorder at 584±16K, well above the onset temperature of ∼510 K for the disordering of Ge(111)-c(2×8) observed for slow …

Surface Morphology Of Laser-Superheated Pb(111) And Pb(100), Z. H. Zhang, Bo Lin, X. L. Zeng, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The surface step density on the vicinal Pb(111) and the surface vacancy density on Pb(100) after laser superheating and melting are investigated using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. With ∼100-ps laser pulses, Pb(111) surface superheating does not significantly change the density of the steps and step-edge roughness. However, after laser surface melting, the average terrace width and the string length at the step edge become as large as those at room temperature. The average terrace width at 573 K changes from 38±15 to 64±19 Å after laser surface melting, while the average string length at the step edge changes from 90±14 …

Temperature Dependence Of Step Density On Vicinal Pb(111), Z. H. Zhang, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The temperature dependence of step density on the vicinal Pb(111) surface is investigated using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. When the temperature is increased from 323 to 590 K. the average terrace width and the average string length at the step edge decrease from 85±25 to 37±16 Å and from 220±33 to 25±8 Å, respectively. Thermal step collapse on the Pb(111) surface near its bulk melting temperature is not observed. Above 530±7 K, the change in the string length at the step edge with temperature becomes small, and the intensity of the (00) beam is significantly decreased. We conclude that partial …

Reflection High-Energy Electron-Diffraction Study Of Melting And Solidification Of Pb On Graphite, Z. H. Zhang, P. Kulatunga, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The melting and solidification of Pb thin films on pyrolytic graphite are investigated in situ by reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Thin films with thicknesses of 4-150 monolayers are investigated. The surface morphology of the thin films were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Superheating of the Pb thin films by 4±2 to 12±2 K is observed from diffraction intensity measurements. Upon cooling the substrate, the Pb on graphite is seen to supercool by ∼69±4 K.