Growth of Si nanostructures on Ag(0 0 1)

The first stages of the growth of silicon on Ag(0 0 1) at moderate temperatures start by the formation of a p(3 · 3) superstructure, which continuously evolves with increasing coverage toward a more complex superstructure. In this paper, the atomic arrangement of the p(3 · 3) and of the ''complex'' superstructure has been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy, surface X-ray diffraction and low energy electron diffraction. The atomic model retained for the p(3 · 3) reconstruction consists in four silicon atoms (tetramers) adsorbed near hollow and bridge sites of the top most Ag(0 0 1) surface layer. For higher coverages, i.e., when the ''complex'' superstruc- ture starts to develop, the silicon overlayer forms periodic stripes, most probably bi-layers, with a graphitic like structure. � 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.