Abstract
We demonstrate a novel, negative-ion-mediated, electron-stimulated disordering process in LEED and, at nanoscopic scales, in the STM. Electron-stimulated disordering of the c(8 × 2) benzoate/Cu(110) structure in LEED is reversible, and HREELS shows that it is non-destructive to the adsorbed species. The disordering kinetics in LEED are pseudo first-order above a threshold between 5 and 7 eV with a large cross-section (∼ 10 −16cm 2). The threshold correlates with strong negative ion resonance scattering in HREELS centred at 7–8 eV. Defect-controlled kinetics in LEED are observed at 5 eV and correlate with the spatial dependence in the STM disordering, which initiates preferentially at domain boundaries and is inhibited at step edges. Both the STM- and electron-beam-induced disordering are consistent with a negative ion resonance mechanism for efficient energy transfer from the tunnelling/incident electron to adsorbate internal vibrational modes which then relax by excitation of the frustrated translation. The influence of field effects on the potential energy surface is also considered.
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