Abstract
Different stages of nucleation and growth of silver films grown on gold-coated mica by vacuum evaporation have been studied by using scanning tunnelling microscopy. These studies reveal a complete picture of the sequence of events from initial island formation to a fairly smooth film surface. The surface roughness pattern matches the growth process. The angle of contact of the cap-shaped silver islands formed during the initial stages of growth was found to be about 12°, confirming three-dimensional island type of growth.
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Rao, M.V.H., Mathur, B.K. & Chopra, K.L. Scanning tunnelling microscopy studies of nucleation and growth of silver films. J Mater Sci 30, 2682–2685 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00362152
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00362152