AVS 46th International Symposium
    Surface Science Division Tuesday Sessions
       Session SS-TuP

Paper SS-TuP24
Epitaxial Growth of Thin Ag Films on Al(001) and Al(110) Surfaces@footnote 1@

Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 5:30 pm, Room 4C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: R.J. Smith, Montana State University
Authors: N.R. Shivaparan, Montana State University
M.A. Teter, Montana State University
R.J. Smith, Montana State University
Correspondent: Click to Email
We report the results of a characterization of Ag films ( 0 to 60 Å thick), deposited onto Al(001) and Al(110) surfaces at room temperature, using high energy ion backscattering and channeling, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). For the Al(001) surface, measurements of the backscattered ion yields from Al and Ag atoms show that the Ag atoms occupy fcc lattice sites and shadow Al substrate atoms. However, the ion scattering yields and photopeak intensities do not follow layer-by-layer model growth curves. Together with the evolution of the Ag 3d core level binding energies and the valence band shape as a function of Ag coverage, these results support a model of interface strain relief by means of Ag-Al alloy formation, with the interface ultimately covered by an ordered, epitaxial Ag film. For the Al(110) surface the observations are closer to those expected for layer-by-layer Ag growth, but still show evidence of some Al diffusion into the well-ordered Ag overlayer. @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ Work supported by NSF Grant No. DMR-9710092 and by NASA EPSCoR Grant NCCW-0058 .