STUDIES OF THE GD OVERLAYER ON CR BY SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION PHOTOEMISSION

The formation of Gd/Cr interface, the growth mechanism and electronic structure of Gd overlayers were investigated by synchrotron radiation photoemission. It is shown that Gd adatoms interact with the Cr substr ate weakly. A lower deposition rate of the Gd overlayer (1.0 Angstrom/ min) favors the smooth growth of Gd/Cr interface. However, higher depo sition rate (6.0 Angstrom/min) leads to the cluster growth of the Gd o verlayer and the presence of a ''two-peak'' feature of Gd 4f emission. We correlate this feature with the different coordination number of s urface atoms derived from cluster-induced surface roughness.