Misfit-related effects in the epitaxial growth of iron on W(110)

Abstract Time-resolved in situ STM has been used to investigate the growth of iron on W(110). In the submonolayer range, a strong inhibition of island coalescence is present up to 0.6 ML due to the misfit of 9.4%. The onset of coalescence can be correlated with the magnetic percolation in these thin layers. Growth at higher temperature leads to the development of a sequence of dislocation networks which start from the second iron layer on with a wider spaced one-dimensional array. With the third layer a second one-dimensional network in [001]-direction appears, showing relaxation to the bulk Fe lattice constant in only one direction. A further layer is necessary to introduce a two-dimensional network, leading to a fully relaxed Fe-layer. The growth of wedge-shaped 3D-islands on a misoriented W(110)-sample in the Stranski-Krastanov growth regime enables us to study different local layer thicknesses simultaneously. It is thus possible to examine the decrease in influence of the dislocation network on the surface topography.