Atomic structure of Fe thin-films on Cu(0 0 1) studied with stereoscopic photography

Abstract

The complex magnetic properties of Fe films epitaxially grown on Cu(001) have been discussed in relation to their atomic structure. We have studied the Fe films on Cu(001) by a new direct method for three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure analysis, so-called “stereoscopic photography”. The forward-focusing peaks in the photoelectron angular distribution pattern excited by the circularly polarized light rotate around the light axis in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on the light helicity. By using a display-type spherical mirror analyzer for this phenomenon, we can obtain stereoscopic photographs of atomic structure. The photographs revealed that the iron structure changes from bcc to fcc and almost bcc structure with increasing iron film thickness.