Ion beam deposition of Ag-107(111) films on Ni(100)

Monolayer thick silver films were grown on an Ni(100) surface using direct ion beam deposition of Ag-107(+) ions with 20 eV kinetic energy and the sub strate at 25 degrees C. Deposition was performed by means of a mass-selecte d, low-energy, ultra-high vacuum ion beam system with a well-defined ion en ergy. The films were analyzed in situ by time-of-flight scattering and reco iling spectrometry (TOF-SARS) and by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) . Classical ion trajectory simulations were used to model the TOF-SARS spec tra. Results of the TOF-SARS spectra and azimuthal scans are consistent wit h the growth of a monolayer Ag film with a fcc (111) structure on the Ni(10 0) surface. The deposited films exhibited a faint hexagonal c(2 x 8) LEED p attern. Molecular dynamic simulations of the deposition process are in agre ement with the experimental observations. The growth of such isotopically p ure metal monolayers at room temperature with controlled orientations provi des the opportunity for exploring a variety of unique physical properties, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.