Formation of NaCl stripes on Cu(1 0 0)

Submonolayer growth of NaCl on Cu(1 0 0) was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The initial growth is characterized by decoration of step edges and rather strong restructuring of terraces of the Cu(1 0 0) surface. Further deposition of NaCl leads to the formation of narrow NaCl stripes oriented along the [0 1 1] and [0 1 1̄] directions. For higher coverages, these stripes form regular patterns with a fivefold superstructure.