Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 14: 2D Materials Beyond Graphene: Growth, Structure and Substrate Interaction (joint session O/HL)
O 14.10: Talk
Monday, March 17, 2025, 17:15–17:30, H11
Growth and etching of hBN on Cu(111): Impact on substrate step dynamics and morphology — •Patrick Seleš1,2, Marin Petrović1, Smruti Ranjan Mohanty3, and Frank Meyer zu Heringdorf3 — 1Center for Advanced Laser Techniques, Institute of Physics, Bijenička 46, Zagreb, Croatia — 2Faculty of physics, University of Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, Rijeka, Croatia — 3Faculty for Physics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstrasse 1-21, Duisburg, Germany
The interaction of precursors and oxygen molecules with metal surfaces plays an important role in the growth dynamics of two-dimensional material such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). By using low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM), in this study we investigate the influence of hBN growth on Cu(111) step dynamics at various stages ranging from borazine precursor dosing to oxygen etching. Real-time monitoring of Cu step displacement underneath and next to hBN islands revealed step pinning and a significant decrease in step velocities compared to the pristine Cu surface, highlighting the stabilizing effect of hBN. After the removal of hBN islands by oxygen etching, Cu steps accelerated back to the pre-growth velocities and rearranged into a new surface morphology. Our findings elucidate the interplay between surface dynamics and step motion during hBN growth on Cu(111). By analyzing step displacement and morphological evolution, we contribute to a deeper understanding of metal-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition growth of hBN.
Keywords: hBN; LEEM; step; surface; dynamics