Imaging the surface and the interface atoms of an oxide film on Ag{111} by scanning tunneling microscopy:: Experiment and theory

High-resolution images of the vacuum oxide surface atomic structure of Ag{111}-p(4 X 4)-O reveal large terraces of a perfect (4 X 4) reconstruction. Under certain conditions, the surface Ag atoms at the interface between the reconstructed oxide layer and the underlying Ag{111} lattice are also imaged, providing the structural registry. Scanning tunneling microscopy simulations reveal a strong sensitivity to structure and comparison with the experimental images, therefore providing an atom-by-atom model for the entire metal-oxide-vacuum structure.