Heteroepitaxial growth of Co on W(110) investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy

We investigated the growth of Co submonolayers on bcc W(110) by scanning tunneling microscopy. Due to the strong Co-W bonding, monolayers of Co grow in equilibrium pseudomorphically on W(110) until the monolayer is almost completed. When excess atoms are deposited atop the pseudomorphic monolayer, it transforms to a close-packed (cp) monolayer with misfit dislocation lines parallel to $[11\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}0]$ (Nishiyama-Wassermann orientation). The structure of the cp monolayer, as concluded from atomically resolved STM images, deviates from the rigid hard-sphere model of a cp (111) layer. Details of the structure are compared to a structure model previously proposed by…