Relaxed diffusion limited aggregation of Ag on Au(111) observed by scanning tunneling microscopy
- Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA (United States)
Novel properties of metal monolayers and superlattices are likely to depend on the detailed morphology of monolayer growth. The authors find, using scanning tunneling microscopy, that the simple system of Ag on room-temperature Au(111) exhibits a morphological instability in the formation of the first monolayer. Monolayer-high Ag protrusions grow outward from atomic steps onto atomic terraces. The structure of the deposits on a nanometer scale shows that Ag atoms diffuse freely on Au terraces but are not mobile along or across step edges that separate the terraces. The result is a complex growth front characteristic of diffusion-limited aggregation with local relaxation. This causes strong inhomogeneity in local coverage, so that even at 1.1 ml average coverage there are large areas of exposed Au. Experiments with step structures intentionally created by tip impact suggest that atoms on step edges are not highly mobile at room temperature, so that the dominant mechanism for local smoothing of these deposits is relaxation intrinsic to the aggregation process.
- OSTI ID:
- 5286984
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States) Vol. 9:2; ISSN 0734-211X; ISSN JVTBD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
360101 -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
360102* -- Metals & Alloys-- Structure & Phase Studies
AGGLOMERATION
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
GOLD
INSTABILITY
MATHEMATICS
METALS
MICROSCOPY
MORPHOLOGY
SILVER
SUBSTRATES
SUPERLATTICES
TOPOLOGY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNNEL EFFECT