Diffusion of isolated In atoms on Ag and Cu surfaces

The diffusion behaviour of indium atoms on various vicinal silver and copper surfaces has been investigated by the perturbed γγ-angular correlation (PAC) technique. The electric-field-gradient tensor, acting as a ‘fingerprint’ for 111In probe sites on the surface, was used to study diffusion on an atomic scale. The results can be interpreted within a microscopic diffusion model. From the conversion temperatures, activation energies for the different diffusion steps are estimated