An STM study of the step structure of Pb(110) and Pb(111)

S. Speller*, W. Heiland*, A. Biedermann, E. Platzgummer, C. Nagl, M. Schmid, and P. Varga

Institut für Allgemeine Physik, Technische Universität Wien, A-1040 Wien, Austria
*Fachbereich Physik, Universität Osnabrück, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany

Surf. Sci. 331-333 (1995) 1056-1061

The (110) and (111) surfaces of lead are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. They are atomically resolved with corrugations of 0.1 Å and 0.6 Å respectively. The STM images allow conclusions about the motion of the atoms at step edges and step step interaction. At room temperature the steps on both surfaces are below the roughening transition. The influence of impurities and tip surface interaction on the step fluctuations is discussed.