Alloying of Sn in the surface layer of Ag(111)

It is found that 1/3 monolayer (ML) of Sn forms a surface alloy with 2/3 ML of Ag on Ag(111). This highly ordered alloy layer shows a root 3 x root 3 structure. By employing experimental and theoretical tools (scanning tunneling microscopy [STM], angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory), an atomic model has been obtained that reproduces the experimental electronic structure in both real and reciprocal space. Detailed surface band dispersions, constant energy contours, and STM images, obtained experimentally and theoretically, are compared in order to verify the model. Similar, 1-layer-thick alloys on Ag(111) with Pb, Bi, or Sb exhibit measurable spin-orbit interactions. However, no such spin split could be detected in the case of Sn in this study. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075441