Growth and isothermal desorption of ultrathin silver layers on the Ni(111) face at the substrate temperature from 180 to 900 K

The growth mode of silver on the Ni(111) face was investigated by using AES in a substrate temperature range of 180 K<T<750 K, and at a deposition rate of 0.0008 ML s−1<F<0.0048 ML s−1. In the measured kinetics of the Ni M2,3VV Auger peak, apart from segments corresponding to the growth of the first and second layer, additional linear segments appear around coverages Θ=1 and 2. Their presence and dimensions depend on the deposition temperature but not on the deposition rate. This is interpreted under the supposition that the Schwoebel barrier at the edges of first-layer islands is negligible. During annealing at a constant temperature between 820 and 900 K silver is desorbed and the Ni M2,3VV Auger peak height increases linearly with time, showing different slopes for the desorption of the second- and first-layer silver atoms. From these slopes, the binding energies of silver atoms at island edges of the second and first layer were determined. LEED patterns indicate the presence of the (111) oriented silver domains rotated by ±2° with respect to the substrate.