Epitaxy of MnO on Cu{001}

Abstract

Deposition of 2--3 layer equivalents of Mn on a clean Cu{001} surface followed by exposure to oxygen and brief anneals at 450 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C--475 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C leads to the growth of MnO islands which are epitaxial to, but incommensurate with, the Cu substrate. The proof is provided by a quantitative analysis of low-energy electron-diffraction intensities and is confirmed by angle-integrated and angle-resolved valence-band photoemission experiments.