Crystallography and morphology of the early stages of the growth of [formula omitted] by LEED and STM

Abstract

We report on a quantitative investigation of the structure and morphology of ultrathin films of Co deposited on Cu(111) by an in situ combination of real space (STM) and diffraction (LEED) techniques. The film grows initially as bilayer islands with strict fcc stacking. Part of them are covered by Cu. The lateral distribution of Co- and Cu-terminated domains as well as of uncovered patches is both quantitatively determined by intensity analysis and visualized by STM images. Their simultaneous presence correlates nicely to known magnetic properties of ultrathin films, in particular with the observed magnetic anisotropy.