An analysis of the structure of the iridium (111) surface by low-energy electron diffraction

Abstract

Elastic low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) intensity versus voltage ( I- V) measurements for the clean Ir(111) surface have been obtained. Seven specular I- V spectra were measured from 15 to 975 eV at incident angles from 7° to 62.5° relative to the surface normal. The outermost atomic layer spacing of the unreconstructed Ir(111) surface was determined both by the convolution-transform method we have presented previously (including certain convenient modifications) and by dynamical calculations. Results from the analysis of the I- V spectra by the convolution-transform method indicate that the outermost Ir(111) layer spacing is either unrelaxed or contracts by 4% of its bulk value depending upon whether the θ=7° data or the θ = 25° data are used. In agreement with this, the dynamical calculations show that the outermost Ir(111) layer spacing contracts by 2.5± 5% and, in addition, that the registry of the first layer of the crystal surface is not shifted, maintaining the fcc structure.