Scanning-tunneling-microscopy observation of K-induced reconstructions on Au(110)

The K-induced reconstructions of the Au(110) surface at coverages up to 0.5 ML and various deposition and annealing temperatures were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. At very low coverages (<0.1 ML) the K atoms stabilize missing-row-type structures with deep (1×3) channels. A (1×5) structure that consists of alternating (1×3) and (1×2) missing-row furrows is formed at ${\mathrm{\theta }}_{\mathit{K}}$≊0.05 ML, and a (1×3) phase appears at ${\mathrm{\theta }}_{\mathit{K}}$≊0.08 ML. A (1×2) missing-row structure, identical to that of the clean surface, is found in the coverage range between 0.15 and 0.25 ML. At coverages beyond 0.25 ML the K atoms disrupt the densely packed Au atomic rows of the surface, and highly anisotropic elements of a c(2×2) structure are formed. It is shown that, in agreement with previous studies, the c(2×2) structure consists of a mixed K-Au surface layer.