Reconstruction, step edges and self-organization on the Au(111) surface

Abstract

5th International Conference on Atomic Controlled Surfaces, Interfaces and Nanostructures (ACSIN 5), UNIV AIX MARSEILLE, AIX PROVENCE, FRANCE, JUL 06-09, 1999It has been shown recently that vicinal surfaces of Au(lll) are unstable towards faceting. The period of the faceted morphology is very sensitive to the step edge atomic structure and can vary from about 10 up to 200 nm. We report a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study demonstrating that the famous 22 x root 3 reconstruction of the Au(lll) surface interacts differently with both types of close-packed step edges that can be found on a (111) surface: the lines of discommensuration cross (111) step edges and are stopped by (100) ones. This observation could be essential in order to explain the drastic change in the faceted morphology of Au(111) vicinal surfaces with different step edges. Furthermore, it is promising in the way of realizing original nanostructures on these vicinal surfaces. Preliminary results are shown. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved