STEP-INDUCED DECONSTRUCTION AND STEP-HEIGHT EVOLUTION OF THE AU(110) SURFACE

We use temperature-dependent high-resolution low-energy electron diffr action and spot-profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction to st udy the Au(110) surface at room temperature up to 786 K. The experimen tal data were analyzed within the framework of the kinematic theory. O scillations were determined of the positions of half order and fundame ntal Bragg peaks as well as of the full width at half maximum of the s pecular peak as a function of perpendicular momentum transfer. Evidenc e of monoatomic steps occurring in the [001] direction was found below and around the (2 X 1)-->(1 X 1) transition at T(c). Above T(c), the surface gets smoother in the [001] direction; at the roughening temper ature, T(R), the evolution of multiple-height steps starts in both sym metry directions.