Effect of the long-range adsorbate interactions on the atomic self-assembly on metal surfaces

Abstract

Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that short linear chains are often formed in the early stage of heteroepitaxy on the (1 1 1) noble metal surfaces at low temperatures. Here, we show that the surface-state mediated long-range interaction between adsorbates is the driving force for the self-organization of adsorbates at very low temperatures. Our kinetic Monte Carlo simulations for Co adatoms on Cu(1 1 1) and for Ce adatoms on Ag(1 1 1) reveal that these interactions can lead to the formation of linear chains.