Epitaxial growth of Fe on Mo(110) studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to investigate the growth of Ft: on Mo(110). Growth was carried our at room temperature with growth rates between 0.03 and 0.5 ML min(-1). Initially, the first atomic layer is completed independently of the rate of evaporation. At low deposition rates the further growth proceeds in a multi-layer fashion whereas at higher rates the layer growth is partially preserved. Preferred growth along the [001] direction is observed in some cases. One-dimensional dislocation lines are observed in the second-layer islands. At higher coverage a two-dimensional dislocation network occurs which vanishes for thicker films. Ar a temperature of 600 K Fe on Mo(110) grows by a step flow mechanism in the first layer followed by the formation of wedge-shaped three-dimensional islands. A comparison with Fe grown on W(110) at a similar deposition rate is provided. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.