Ag deposits are grown epitaxially on NaCl or KCl substrates at room temperature in Ar inert gases of 0.2-2Pa. The epitaxial temperature is about 15°C and the orientations are (001)Ag//(001)NaCl and (110)Ag//(001)NaCl. Shapes of the deposits are rounder than that obtained by the usual vacuum doposition method.
These results suggest that surface diffusion of Ag adatoms and surface migration of Ag clusters are activated by the collisions of Ar atoms in the atmospherical gas in this deposition process.