On the rotation of non-epitaxy crystallites on single crystal substrate

The experimental results of Masson et al. [Surf. Sci. 27 (1971) 463] were further interpreted with regard to the rotation behavior of non-epitaxy Au crystallites on a KCl(100) substrate, which developed into primary epitaxy ([111](Au)parallel to[100](KCl);[1(1) over bar0$](Au)parallel to[010](KCl)), and ''second'' epitaxy (in fact [100](Au)parallel to[100](KCl);[010](Au)parallel to[010](KCl) and [100](Au)parallel to[100](KCl); [010](Au)parallel to[011](KCl)) upon annealing at 94 degrees C. These epitaxy orders were clarified to be nonsequential events on the basis of the development of electron diffractions (220), (111) and (200) of Au. The ''second'' epitaxy can be attributed to the later formation of a (100)(Au)\(100)(KCl) contact in comparison with the preferred (111)(Au)\(100)(KCl) contact in the as-deposited state. The Au crystallites Kith irrational contact plane should have rotated and changed shape before bifurcating into (111)(Au)\(100)(KCl) and (100)(Au)\(100)(KCl) contact, upon which viscous rotation was still feasible, until the primary and ''second'' epitaxy were reached, respectively. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.