STM study of the preparation of clean Ta(110) and the subsequent growth of two-dimensional Fe islands

Abstract

This report deals with the preparation of a clean Ta(110) surface, investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy as well as by low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. The surface initially exhibits a surface reconstruction induced by oxygen contamination. This reconstruction can be removed by annealing at high temperatures under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The reconstruction-free surface reveals a surface resonance at a bias voltage of about -500 mV. The stages of the transformation are presented and discussed. In a next step, Fe islands were grown on top of Ta(110) and investigated subsequently. An intermixing regime was identified for annealing temperatures of (550 - 590) K.