Ultra-thin Ag layers on low-index faces of Cu and Ni

The atomic structure and mechanism of growth, thermal desorption and dissolution of ultra-thin silver layers deposited in ultra-high vacuum on low-index faces of copper and nickel crystals were investigated with the use of AES, LEED, directional Auger (DAES) and elastic (DEPES) electron spectroscopies, and isothermal desorption. On (111) and (001) faces of copper and nickel the growth of (111) oriented silver islands was observed with epitaxial relations different for particular faces, while for (011) faces a parallel epitaxy occured for the first silver layer. Different mechanisms of growth (Frank — van der Merwe, Stranski — Krastanov, and duolayer) were found for particular substrates using the analysis of Auger peak kinetics basea on comparison of the substrate Auger peak height at the beginning of adsorption and at the first and second breaks of its kinetics. Annealing of the deposited layers leads to dissolution of silver in the copper substrate and to its evaporation from the nickel substrate. Binding energy of silver atoms in the first and second layers of silver on the (001) nickel face was determined using isothermal desorption kinetics.