RHEED studies of interlayer diffusion in the submonolayer growth regime on Ag/Ag(111)

We have used reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) to study the growth of Ag/Ag(111) as a function of temperature T=150-315 K and flux rate F=1/125-1/4800 ML/s by monitoring the decay of the specular beam intensity. No oscillations are observed, which is consistent with a 3D growth mode and the existence of a step edge barrier. The intensity decay is independent of flux rate but depends on temperature. This can be understood in terms of the high diffusion rate on the finite substrate terraces(similar to 500 Angstrom), which results in breakdown of the scaling conditions for nucleation and interlayer diffusion from higher to lower terraces.