Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Epitaxial solid solutions Au1-x Nix (100) have been obtained at room temperature on Au(100) substrates by the MBE technique. The layers are 10 nm-thick and the composition x has been varied up to 0.37. A large strain (2–3%) has been measured by X-ray diffraction. The lattice parameters have been measured in two perpendicular directions, perpendicular and parallel to the surface. In the latest case, the grazing-incidence technique has been used. Because this technique is very sensitive to the surface, the strain results may be re-interpreted if, the upperlOO nm are enriched in Au.