Abstract
The atomic structure of a monolayer of Pb on Cu(111) wasinvestigated by an in situ combination of low-energy electrondiffraction, scanning tunnelling microscopy and Augerelectron spectroscopy. The pronounced (4×4)super-structure observed is found to be due to a (in surfaceprojection) hexagonally close-packed but vertically buckled Pb layerwhich induces a substantial complex restructuring of the first threeCu layers. In this interface to the copper bulk no intermixing ofPb and Cu atoms is observed. Surprisingly, the overall bucklingamplitude of the first Cu layer is even larger than that of the leadlayer and the positional height of Pb atoms residing on top of Cuatoms is lower than for all other atoms. The structural resultsagree qualitatively with recent effective-medium-theorycalculations. The reconstruction induced by the lead adatoms showsthat the substrate reacts in a structurally flexible way to theirpresence. It is proposed that this might be related to thesurface-active (`surfactant') role that Pb plays in homogeneous andheterogeneous epitaxial growth on Cu(111).
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