The crystallographic aspects of O-induced structures on strained Cu fi
lms grown epitaxially on Ru(0001) are studied by scanning tunneling mi
croscopy and high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction. O adsorp
tion at 520 R removes the thickness-dependent relaxation structures of
the O-free Cu film. Instead. structures appear corresponding to a fil
m thickness reduced by one monolayer, accompanied with the formation o
f a O/Cu surface layer. Wave-like O-Cu-O chains along the [(1) over ba
r 12] direction are formed on the pseudomorphic Cu monolayer. The O/Cu
structures on uniaxially reconstructed Cu bilayers depend on both the
local stacking sequence and the extension of the unit cell. On moire-
like Cu films (thickness > 3 ML), an O/Cu structure of well-establishe
d long-range order only occurs if O is preadsorbed on Ru(0001). The re
sults obtained allow one to conclude that Cu-O segments (links) of the
O-Cu-O chains should be regarded as surfactants for the O-mediated gr
owth of Cu/Ru(0001). All O/Cu structures can be interpreted on the bas
is of O-Cu-O strings, in close relation to Cu2O/(111). (C) 1998 Elsevi
er Science B.V. All rights reserved.