Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 53, Number 3, February 2001
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 388 - 394 | |
Section | Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2001-00166-9 | |
Published online | 01 December 2003 |
Growth of a smooth epitaxial γ-
film on the
surface
Institut für Grenzflächenforschung und Vakuumphysik,
Forschungszentrum Jülich D-52425 Jülich, Germany
Corresponding author: C.Pflitsch@fz-juelich.de
Received:
27
July
2000
Accepted:
27
November
2000
Iron films, grown on Cu(110) surfaces, are very rough when prepared under
normal growth conditions. When Fe is deposited at room temperature, Stranski-Krastanov
growth is observed, i.e. three-dimensional (3D) islands form. Here it
is shown that a smooth 5 ML thick Fe film can be grown on the Cu(110)
surface by depositing the film at low temperature () and
subsequently anneal the film to 240 K. Since the thermodynamically stable
state of the film is the state where the film has a rough surface, as found
after deposition at room temperature, the smooth surface obtained by
annealing after low-temperature deposition has to be considered as
metastable. Long-time stability of the smooth film, i.e. for periods of
several hours, was found at 140 K and below. Keeping the film at a
temperature of 240 K or above results in the formation of large 3D islands
as evidenced by the formation of (111) facets. The mechanism on which the
preparation of the smooth film is based is discussed in terms of a
competition between smoothening of the outermost surface layer and
nucleation and growth of holes in the film which leads to the formation of
3D islands.
PACS: 75.50.Bb – Fe and its alloys / 68.35.Bs – Surface structure and topography / 61.18.Bn – Atom, molecule, and ion scattering
© EDP Sciences, 2001
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