Composition, structure, and morphology for Ag deposition on Cu(110): A medium-energy ion-scattering study

Abstract

High-resolution medium-energy ion scattering has been used to characterize the interfacial composition, structure, and morphology resulting from Ag deposition on Cu(110) at 300 K. A pronounced layer-cluster growth mechanism has been verified for which there is no measureable mixing of Ag with the Cu substrate. Following formation of a uniform monolayer-thick coating (1.30×${10}^{15}$ atoms/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$), Ag clusters are rapidly nucleated, giving an average thickness greater than 20 Å for less than a 2-monolayer deposition. The clusters grow as a (110)-like extension of the substrate crystallography and are not a continuous evolution of the hexagonal Ag monolayer formed during the initial deposition. The 300-K clusters are unstable at elevated temperatures, decomposing to give deep (∼300 Å thick) agglomerates after 575-K anneal.