Observation of atomic corrugation on Au(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy

This work presents the first real-space images which resolve individual close-packed metal atoms on the surface of a Au(111) thin film. Measurements made in both air and ultrahigh-vacuum environments reveal the same highly ordered, laterally extensive close-packed structure with a corrugation amplitude of 0.3 at a tip bias of +30 mV and a tunneling current of 3 nA. The possible role of surface electronic states on Au(111) in producing the corrugations imaged by the scanning tunneling microscope is discussed. © 1987 The American Physical Society.