Self-mediated growth of single-crystal and entirely (111)-oriented C60 films on alkali halide substrates

We have studied C-60 film growth on alkali halide substrates, KCl (200), KBr (200), and NaCl (200), by using two or three C-60 monolayers, which grow at a very low deposition rate, as a self-mediating layer. Continuously and entirely (111)-oriented epitaxial C-60 films have been grown in a quite wide temperature range, 40-120 degrees C, and at very different deposition rates, from 1.5 to 35 Angstrom/min. More over, single-crystal and entirely (111)-oriented C-60 films with a grain size of 1-3 mu m could be also grown at relative high temperature and low deposition rate, approximately 120 degrees C and 1.5 Angstrom/min, respectively. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01912-9].