Growth of Ag thin films on ZnO(0 0 0 1) investigated by AES and STM

The growth of Ag films on ZnO(0 0 0 1) has been investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). A high density of islands is nucleated at the earliest stages of the growth. An upstepping mechanism causes these islands to coalesce while the uncovered fraction of the ZnO surface remains constant (30%).