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Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations

Publication ,  Journal Article
Blum, V; Rath, C; Müller, S; Hammer, L; Heinz, K; García, JM; Ortega, JE; Prieto, JE; Hernán, OS; Gallego, JM; Vázquez de Parga, AL; Miranda, R
Published in: Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
January 1, 1999

The combination of low-energy electron diffraction intensity analyses and scanning tunneling microscopy was used to investigate the morphology and atomic structure of thin Fe films grown on Au(100) at 400 K. Deposition of only about 0.2 monolayers (ML) Fe is sufficient to lift the reconstruction of the clean substrate. In the initial growth process (Formula presented) ML) place exchanges between Fe and Au lead to almost two-dimensional subsurface Fe film growth with one layer of Au covering the entire film. This way, gold acts as a “self-surfactant.” Yet, there are deviations from two-dimensional growth, with a second Fe layer beginning to grow before the first one is fully completed and some substitutional disorder developing in the film because of incomplete place exchange. The amount of gold floating on the surface only gradually decreases with further increasing film thickness. At about 2 ML the surface undergoes a complete restructuring during which short “wormlike” chains of atoms form and long-range order is destroyed. Nevertheless, the existence of large terraces of little roughness proves that some surface activity of gold remains. At coverages of several ML, long-range order is reestablished with the Fe film growing in an undistorted bcc arrangement. Although parts of the film are still covered by gold, the surface morphology is not very different from that known for homoepitaxial growth of Fe on Fe(100), i.e., gold has stopped to serve as a “self-surfactant.” © 1999 The American Physical Society.

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Published In

Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI

EISSN

1550-235X

ISSN

1098-0121

Publication Date

January 1, 1999

Volume

59

Issue

24

Start / End Page

15966 / 15974

Related Subject Headings

  • Fluids & Plasmas
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences
 

Citation

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Blum, V., Rath, C., Müller, S., Hammer, L., Heinz, K., García, J. M., … Miranda, R. (1999). Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 59(24), 15966–15974. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.59.15966
Blum, V., C. Rath, S. Müller, L. Hammer, K. Heinz, J. M. García, J. E. Ortega, et al. “Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations.” Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 59, no. 24 (January 1, 1999): 15966–74. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.59.15966.
Blum V, Rath C, Müller S, Hammer L, Heinz K, García JM, et al. Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. 1999 Jan 1;59(24):15966–74.
Blum, V., et al. “Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations.” Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol. 59, no. 24, Jan. 1999, pp. 15966–74. Scopus, doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.59.15966.
Blum V, Rath C, Müller S, Hammer L, Heinz K, García JM, Ortega JE, Prieto JE, Hernán OS, Gallego JM, Vázquez de Parga AL, Miranda R. Fe thin-film growth on au(100): a self-surfactant effect and its limitations. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. 1999 Jan 1;59(24):15966–15974.

Published In

Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI

EISSN

1550-235X

ISSN

1098-0121

Publication Date

January 1, 1999

Volume

59

Issue

24

Start / End Page

15966 / 15974

Related Subject Headings

  • Fluids & Plasmas
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences