Observation of the diffusion of Ag atoms through an a-Si layer on Si(111) by low-energy ion scattering

We have observed the behavior of Ag atoms at the interface between a deposited Si layer and an Si(lll) surface using a recently developed ion-scattering spectroscopy. At RT deposition of Si, the Ag layer is anchored at the interface between amorphous and crystalline Si, With increasing annealing temperature, the Ag atoms were observed to diffuse out over the adsorbed a-Si layer. In addition, we indicate that the buried structure of the substrate is reflected by the multiple scattering component of the ion scattering spectrum.