LEED measurements of one monolayer of iron epitaxially grown on Cu(111)

We report a LEED study of Cu(111) and one monolayer of iron epitaxially grown on Cu(111). A full dynamical analysis was performed using the renormalized forward scattering method. We studied the influence of the scattering potential employed on the quality of the LEED theoretical analysis. The analysis of the intensity versus energy for all the spots at room temperature gave a 2% contraction for the topmost layer of Cu(111) and 3% contraction for one monolayer of iron (in reference to Cu(111) bulk). We also detected Cu surface segregation at relative low temperatures (473 K) for iron epitaxially grown on Cu(111). Time and temperature play a significant role in the surface segregation process. Great care must be exercised when studying the electronic and magnetic properties of epitaxially grown fcc iron on Cu(111) when samples are prepared above room temperature.