Comparative study of Ag growth on (111) Au and Cu substrates

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Abstract
The growth of Ag monolayers on (111) Cu and Au substrates has been studied by Auger-electron spectroscopy and surface reflectance spectroscopy. At room temperature, Ag diffuses into the Au substrates, but grows continuously with a well-defined interface on Cu. The interdiffusion of Ag and Au is stopped when cooling the sample. In this case, the first Ag monolayer in contact with the Au surface behaves like a Ag-Au alloy. On the other hand, when deposited onto Cu, the first Ag monolayer displays a narrow absorption band at 3 eV which is not present in bulk. It could be due to transitions from d states in the Ag monolayer, the shift being caused by the interaction with Cu. The electronic properties of thicker films gradually tend to those of bulk Ag.