Ultrahigh vacuum dc magnetron sputter-deposition of epitaxial Pd(111)/Al2O3(0001) thin films
Pd(111) thin films, ∼245 nm thick, are deposited on Al2O3(0001) substrates at ≈0.5Tm, where Tm is the Pd melting point, by ultrahigh vacuum dc magnetron sputtering of Pd target in pure Ar discharges. Auger electron spectra and low-energy electron diffraction patterns acquired in situ from the as-deposited samples reveal that the surfaces are compositionally pure 111-oriented Pd. Double-axis x-ray
