Reconstructed bcc Co films on the surface

Ultrathin epitaxial Co films on Cr ( 1 1 0 ) are examined by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM and STS). At room temperature Co grows as pseudomorphic bcc layers for the first two monolayers and forms close-packed Co layers with stacking faults for thicker coverages. A periodic lattice distortion appears in two equivalent (3 × 1) reconstruction domains in combination with a regular lattice of dislocation lines oriented along the in-plane close-packed row directions bcc [ 1 1 ¯ 1 ] and bcc [ 1 ¯ 1 1 ] . The reconstruction and the occurrence of dislocation lines are caused by the epitaxial strain. The local density-of-states function is mapped by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The bcc Co layers show pronounced differences in comparison to close-packed layers in agreement with theoretical predictions.