SURFACE PLASMON OF Ag CLUSTERS ON ALUMINA FILMS

The deposition of silver on an ordered alumina film prepared on Re(0001) surface has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The results show that Ag grows initially as clusters at 90K and 300K. A red shift of the Ag surface plasmon as a function of decreasing coverage is observed, which is related to the cluster size effect. A surface plasmon characteristic of metallic Ag appears at coverages higher than 2.8 monolayer equivalent.