2012 Volume 10 Pages 459-462
Ni clusters and particles grown on SrTiO3(001) were investigated with UHV-TEM/STM combined system. Substrate surface was cleaned by chemical etching and subsequent electron beam heating, and confirmed by TEM observation and EELS analysis. Direct observation of Ni clusters deposited on these substrates revealed that they grow epitaxially and coherently. When the cluster size is small, they have almost the same sizes. When they become bigger, their heights and diameters began to show variation. In both cases, their structures were deformed due to lattice strain. Reduction and oxidation process changed their heights and morphology. These results suggest strong interaction at the interface. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2012.459]
