Cu/Au, Ag/Au, and Au/Cu/Au bilayer and trilayer (111) films grown on Si(111
) and Si(100) substrates exhibit a spiral grain topography that, as determi
ned by scanning tunneling spectroscopy, yields a high density of conduction
-electron surface states on the flat areas of these grains. This results in
strong spatial variations in the ballistic-electron-emission microscopy (B
EEM) current due to differences in the proportion of electrons which tunnel
into bulk as opposed to surface states. This enables BEEM imaging of varia
tions in the density of unoccupied surface states and the examination of th
e effect of incomplete coverages of adatoms in coupling such surface states
to the bulk.