Atomic exchange mean field study of intermixing of Au on Ag(110)

TL;DR

This study uses a mean field approach to analyze the intermixing and surface reconstruction phenomena of gold on silver (110), aligning with experimental observations of burrowing and cluster formation.

Contribution

It introduces a mean field method to model heteroepitaxial growth, intermixing, and surface reconstructions of Au on Ag(110), providing insights consistent with experimental data.

Findings

Observed burrowing at submonolayer coverages

Formation of elongated (1x3) Au clusters at higher coverages

High Ag concentration between clusters and ordered Au rows beneath surface

Abstract

A mean field method to study heteroepitaxial thin film growth is applied to growth, intermixing and surface reconstructions of $Au$ on $Ag(110)$. The results are in accordance with experimentally observed ``burrowing'' at submonolayer coverages and growth of elongated, $(1 \times 3)$ reconstructed, $Au$ clusters at higher coverages. At coverages of few monolayers the surface between the clusters has a high concentration of $Ag$, and ordered rows of $Au$ are formed just beneath the surface.