STM and STS study of ultrathin Mn layers on Fe( [formula omitted

Abstract

The growth of ultrathin Mn films on an Fe(0 0 1) whisker at 370 K is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy at room temperature in ultrahigh vacuum. Atomically and chemically resolved STM images show that the Mn film grows with the same in-plane lattice constant as Fe(0 0 1) and that Fe atoms intermix with the first (14%), the second (4%), and the third Mn layer (2%), while a negligible amount of Fe atoms is found above the third layer. The growth mode changes from layer-by-layer to layer-plus-island at a coverage of 3 ML Mn. d I/d V curves which are normalized by voltage-dependent tunneling probability functions show clear peaks on each Mn layer. These peaks are tentatively ascribed to surface states. On the first Mn layer, peaks are found at +0.35 eV on pure Mn areas and at +0.28 eV on mixed MnFe areas. The second and the third Mn layer show peaks at +0.20 and +0.8 eV, respectively. Mn films thicker than three layers reveal besides a strong peak at +0.8 eV a weaker peak at −0.6 eV. Our apparent step height measurements show that the Mn film relaxes at the third layer: the interlayer spacing is ∼0.16 nm for the first two layers, and it increases to ∼0.18 nm at the third layer. Starting from the fourth layer the interlayer spacings are geometrically equivalent (∼0.165 nm).