Disorder in a film of gold deposited on silicon: investigation by low-energy electron diffraction

Abstract

A LEED pattern given by a thin film of gold deposited on the (111) surface of a silicon crystal shows an unusual combination of spots and lines. It is suggested that the structure is essentially two-dimensional, with lattice points regularly spaced along certain lines, but with adjacent lines randomly either in phase or exactly out of phase with their neighbours. The authors have simulated this arrangement by optical diffraction and have managed to produce a diffraction pattern with most of the features shown by the LEED pattern.