Morphology of electrochemically grown silver deposits on silver-saturated Ge–Se thin films

The morphology of electrochemically grown Ag deposits on the surface of silver-saturated Ge–Se thin films of different composition is investigated using atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the morphology and the growth rate are closely related to the composition of the Ge–Se host on which the growth is developed. The main reasons for this are the structure of the host and the nature of its electrical conductivity, both being dependent on the amount and distribution of the incorporated silver. The form of the electrodeposits is important for the functionality of optical devices that use them to block or reflect light.