Silver Films Condensed at 300 and 90 K: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Their Surface Topography

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Abstract
Scanning tunneling microscopy shows that warm-condensed Ag films consist of a gently rolling surface topography with compact boundary regions. In contrast, cold-condensed films retain structure on the nanometer scale after annealing to room temperature: These intercrystallite channels or trenches show a strong similarity in width (4.5) nm] to the surface topographic models for surface-enhanced-Raman-scattering activated films. This suggests that postannealing does not imply the annihilation of channels, also termed "pores" or "cavities," postulated by some current models.