Properties of ultrathin silver layers deposited on the Cu (011) face

• Published in: Vacuum Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 537 - 540
• Main Authors: Nowicki, M, Mróz, S
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; Solid-fluid interfaces; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Vapor phase epitaxy; growth from vapor phase; Ultrathin films; Crystal orientation; Epitaxy; Crystal growth from vapors; Experimental study; Dissolution; Substrates; AES; Thin films; Silver; Transition elements; Inverse crystal growth; Growth mechanism; Electron spectroscopy; Thermal annealing
• ISSN: 0042-207X; 1879-2715
• DOI: 10.1016/0042-207X(94)00124-3

Properties of silver films on the Cu(011) face were studied with AES, Directional Auger Electron Spectroscopy (DAES) and Directional Elastic Peak Electron Spectroscopy (DEPES) during deposition and annealing. Ag MNN (360 eV) and Cu M 2,3VV (62 eV) Auger peaks kinetics obtained for growing layers indicate the Stranski-Krastanov growth mechanism. DAES profiles for those peaks and DEPES profiles for Cu crystal clean and covered with a 6ML Ag layer were obtained for two perpendicular azimuths of the substrate: [01̄1]-[011̄] and [1̄00]-[100]. They show that at least starting from 2ML the silver islands grow on the Cu(011) plane epitaxially by nucleating fcc overlayer and preserving the substrate orientation. Annealing of the 2ML layer of Ag at T = 770 K led to the formation of islands with wider basis. During annealing of 6ML layers at higher and higher temperatures the silver dissolution in the copper substrate occurred and the 6 ML → 2 ML → 1 ML → 0 ML transitions were observed. Temperatures at which those transitions take place increase with an increase of silver concentration in the outermost copper layers. Such transitions are predicted by theoretically calculated isotherms connecting the surface and bulk silver concentration in the silver-copper system. For 2 ML → 0 ML and T ≈ 800 K and for 1 ML → 0 ML and T ≈ 820 K such isotherms were calculated.