Formation mechanism of the O-induced added-row reconstruction on Ag(110): A low-temperature STM study

Abstract

The formation of the O-induced added-row reconstruction on Ag(110) was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy at 190 K. At this temperature critical surface processes are slow enough to be followed on the atomic scale. Ag atoms, which are required for the formation of the reconstruction, detach from steps in a row-wise fashion, starting from kink sites. The growth rate of the added rows is constant and controlled by the detachment rate of Ag atoms from the steps. The data provide evidence for a reconstruction mechanism in which the release of the metal atoms from the steps and the formation of lateral oxygen metal bonds are independent processes.