Influence of step structure on preferred orientation relationships of Ag deposited on Ni(111)

TL;DR

This study combines experiments and simulations to show how substrate step structures influence the preferred orientation relationships of silver deposited on nickel(111), highlighting the role of step stability in hetero-epitaxy.

Contribution

It reveals the critical influence of substrate step types on Ag orientation relationships, emphasizing the stability of A-steps in hetero-epitaxial growth.

Findings

Ag adopts a single orientation on vicinal Ni(111) surfaces.

A-steps are more stable than B-steps in the presence of Ag.

Step structure determines the resulting hetero-epitaxial orientation.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the orientation relationships which develop in hetero-epitaxy are strongly influenced by the alignment of steps in the deposit with the pre-existing steps of the substrate. In this paper we use a combination of experiments with computer simulations to identify the important influence of substrate step structure on the eventual orientation relationships that develop in the deposit. We have made use of Ag deposited on Ni as it has been used extensively as a model system for the study of hetero-epitaxy. This system displays a large lattice mismatch of 16%. It is shown that on any surface vicinal to Ni(111), which has two possible kinds of <110> steps (A-steps with {100} ledges and B-steps with {111} ledges), a Ag deposit adopts a single orientation relationship because only A-steps remain stable in the presence of Ag.