Formation of Cu(110)-p(2x3)N islands following the dissociative adsorption of NO

The dissociative adsorption of NO on the Cu(110) surface has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy. At room temperature, the adsorption leads to the formation of -Cu-O- added rows, as well as N-induced intermediate Features, which upon further exposure develop into p(2 x 3)N islands. A quantitative evaluation of the relevant areas involved suggests that two additional Cu atoms are required per p(2 x 3) unit cell to form the nitrogen-induced structure, corresponding to a Cu density of 1.33 monolayers. This density favors the pseudo-(100) model for the p(2 x 3)N phase, where one additional Cu [1 (1) over bar 0] row per three [1 (1) over bar 0] Cu surface rows penetrates into the first layer. The N density was estimated to be 0.5 ML. The nature of the intermediate features and the driving force for the reconstruction are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.