Growth of Mn_xAu_1-x Films on Cu(001) and Ag(001) Single-Crystal Substrates

The growth, morphology, and structure of MnxAu1-x on Cu(001) andAg(001) are studied by means of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), medium-energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning tunnelling microscopy. Different concentrations x from about 0.5 to 1 and thicknesses from 0.2 to 12.9 ML of Mn(x)Au(1-x )are examined. For several values of x,Mn(x)Au(1-x )exhibits a c(2x2) superstructure pattern on Cu(001) when the total thickness is around or above 0.5 ML. Above 1 ML, LEED patterns of Mn(x)Au(1-x )can beonly observed on Ag(001), but not on Cu(001). LEED-I(V) is employed to deducethe vertical inter layer distance for as-grown and post-annealedfilms on Ag(001).Above 500 K, Ag from the substrate segregates into the films.