Controlled growth of thin lms on highly reactive silicon surfaces has been a challenge for decades. In our work, we propose a novel use of the Tl (1 1) layer as a passivation medium for further growth of adsorbates.
Submonolayer coverages of Mn deposited on the Si(111)=Tl (1 1) surface are studied by means of a room-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The growth results in a dendritic shape of islands.
A kinetic model describing the growth is proposed.