LEEM and STM studies of Ag on Ge (110)

The growth of Ag deposited on Ge(110) was studied with low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The LEEM studies showed the formation of long one dimensional islands as Ag was deposited above 430\r{ }C. Island nucleation proceeded from defects in the Ge substrate. During deposition, the length of the islands increased while the width remained constant. The size and distribution of the islands was dependent on the substrate temperatures during deposition. At 480\r{ }C, islands were 100 nm wide and 1-20 $\mu $m long at 9 ML of coverage. At 530\r{ }C, islands were 200nm wide and 1-3 $\mu $m long at 9 ML of coverage. STM images showed that the islands were composed of Ag and that the surface regions between the islands exhibited a reconstruction which is characteristic of pure Ge.