A measurement of surface diffusion across steps on a curved surface (Pd on W)

The surface diffusion of palladium on the curved part of a tungsten crystal is studied by field electron microscopy. The variation of the local coverage distribution is measured by a probe-hole device on the stepped surface region around (001). The measured data allow a determination of the mass transport surface diffusion coefficient D of Pd on W across atomic steps as a function of temperature, coverage and step density. D has been found (1) to be constant for a given step density and for coverages lower than about 5 × 10¹⁴ Pd adatoms/cm², (2) to increase for higher coverages, and (3) to increase with increasing step density for a given coverage. The activation energy of the process is nearly constant (about 24 kcal/mol) for all coverages up to about 6 × 10¹⁴ adatoms/cm², while the pre-exponential factor of D increases with increasing step density. Interpretation of the results gives some information on the diffusion mechanism.