DUAL-ORIENTED THIN-CRYSTALS OF MOLYBDENUM GROWN UNDER AR-BOMBARDMENT(ION)

Ar+ sputtering of an Cu(lll) surface while simultaneously supplying Mo atoms is known to induce an oriented growth of Mo thin crystals, or ' 'seed-layers'', on evolving conical Cu protrusions. The seed-layers th us formed are shown to be dual-oriented, or bicrystalline, consisting of columnar crystallites grown homo-epitaxially. The orientation relat ionship between the two types of crystallites was (100)(I) \\ (111)(II ) with [001](I) \\ [110](II), and this bicrystallinity probably result ed from a non-uniform charge-up of the layers' growth front. As conclu ded from high-resolution electron microscopy, the Mo(100) stacking is elastically converted into the Mo(lll) stacking and vice versa, under the influence of tensile stress. The homo-epitaxy that the seed-layers exhibited is believed to reflect the mutual convertibility of the Mo( 100) and (111) stackings.