Investigation of low-energy carbon cluster depositions on surfaces by a molecular dynamics simulation

The dynamic behavior of C20 adsorption on a silicon (001)-(2×1) surface, and C28 adsorption on a diamond (001)-(2×1) surface were investigated by a molecular dynamics simulation. The impact energies of clusters ranged from 0.2 to 5 eV/atom. After impacting, the fullerenes were found to move collectively in the plane, perpendicular to the incident direction. The lateral motion of clusters is dependent on its impact energy, the anisotropic structure of the cluster, and the surface. By the end of the simulation (∼3 ps), they reside either on the top of a dimer or in the trough of the reconstructed surface, which are energy-favored sites. It has been found that in a certain energy range, the adsorbed fullerenes can retain their original free cluster structure.