Formation of a suprahoneycomb compound of Zn3 cluster on a Si(111)-(7x7) surface -: art. no. 121304

A unique suprahoneycomb column of Zn-3 cluster is materialized on a Si(111)-7x7 surface. Zn on a Si(111)-7x7 surface forms a Zn-3 trimer in faulted and unfaulted halves of the 7x7 structure, so that one monolayer takes a honeycomb structure composed of Zn-3 clusters. Further adsorption of Zn undergoes layer by layer growth of the second and third honeycomb layers of a Zn-3 cluster, where the stacked triangular Zn-3 seems to be on top of the underlying Zn-3 cluster with a 60degrees rotation. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy for the second and third layers suggests that this suprahoneycomb column of a Zn-3 cluster is a semiconductive material with a wide band gap. Interestingly, no fourth of the honeycomb layer but metallic islands grow on the third honeycomb layer. We could say that the honeycomb column of Zn-3 is a supracompound materialized on the Si(111)-7x7 surface by a weak interaction of Zn-3 clusters.