Ion beam sputter deposition of epitaxial Ag films on native oxide covered Si(1Â 0Â 0) substrates

► Ag(2 0 0) epitaxial films were grown on native oxide covered Si(1 0 0) substrates. ► With increased temperature the fraction of (2 0 0) oriented Ag crystallites increased. ► The lowest epitaxial growth temperature observed was 100 °C. ► For epitaxial films: a non-negligible oxygen content was noticed at the Ag/Si interface. ► SIMS measurement suggested local-desorption of native oxide layer during growth.