Structural properties of Cu clusters on the O-terminated ZnO ð000 1Þ surface

We have studied the growth of Cu deposited by molecular beam epitaxy at room temperature on the O-terminated ZnO ð00 0 1Þ surface. The structural properties of Cu on ZnO were investigated by X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chemical characterisation was performed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). X-ray diffraction studies reveal a predominant (1 1 1) out-of plane texture and the ½1 10 Cuj j½1 1 2 0 ZnO and ½11 2 Cuj j½10 10 ZnO azimuthal orientation of the Cu. The XPS spectra show that the ZnO ð00 0 1Þ surface is completely covered after a Cu deposition with a nominal thickness of 50 A ° . AFM and SEM images clearly indicate that at later deposition states Cu clusters increase laterally and later coalesce. # 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.