Growth mode and atomic structure of ultrathin Fe films on Rh[l brace]001[r brace] determined by quantitative low-energy electron diffraction
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794-2275 (United States)
- IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598 (United States)
The epitaxial growth of Fe on Rh[l brace]001[r brace] at room temperature is studied by means of quantitative low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. The Fe films are pseudomorphic to the substrate and grow in the layer-by-layer mode for at least three layers---no attempts were made to determine the growth mode above this thickness. The spacing between Fe and Rh at the substrate-film interface remains approximately the same (about 1.75 A), within experimental error, when the Fe films grow from one to two and three layers. The Fe-Fe interlayer spacing in the bilayer films is also about the same (1.73 A), but in the three-layer film the first two interlayer spacings collapse to about 1.65 A. Thicker (eight- to ten-layer) Fe films have bulk spacings of 1.56 A and a 5.8%-expanded surface interlayer spacing (1.65 A). These films have a compressive strain in the film plane (the misfit to Rh[l brace]001[r brace] is [minus]6.3%) and have a body-centered-tetragonal structure. Elastic strain analysis shows that the equilibrium (i.e., the unstrained) phase is bcc Fe; the bulk interlayer spacing in the films is expanded by 8.7% over the equilibrium value of bcc Fe (1.43 A) as a consequence of the epitaxial strain in the plane of the layers, and the atomic volume is reduced by 4.5%.
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-86ER45239
- OSTI ID:
- 6348947
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 48:3; ISSN PRBMDO; ISSN 0163-1829
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
360101* -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
360102 -- Metals & Alloys-- Structure & Phase Studies
AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTALS
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
GROWTH
INTERFACES
IRON
METALS
MONOCRYSTALS
PLATINUM METALS
RHODIUM
SCATTERING
SPECTROSCOPY
STRAINS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS