LATTICE ACCOMMODATION OF LOW-INDEX PLANES - AG(111) ON SI(001)

Deposition of nonreacting metals on semiconductors usually results in three-dimensional islands that often exhibit a different crystal orien tation than the substrate. Using the kinetic pathway of low-temperatur e growth, a continuous and smooth Ag film with a (111) orientation is formed on Si(001). The interface planes fit nearly exactly within a (3 x4) unit cell of the Si(001) surface. The remaining small mismatch is adjusted by periodic arrays of interfacial defects. The orientation of the Ag(111)-film is strictly determined by the orientation of the Si bonds: From step to step of the Si(001) substrate the Ag(111) crystall ites rotate by 90 degrees.