Investigation on the electronic structure of Fe deposited onto polycrystalline copper

The electronic properties of ultra-thin iron films deposited onto polycrystalline copper at room temperature have been studied using X-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopies. Both the core levels and the valence band features have been followed as a function of the film thickness. As the film thickness decreases the Fe2p peaks move towards higher binding energies and their width increases with respect to the bulk values, Some variations are also observed in the Fe3d states. A comparison between these data and those obtained for iron deposited onto Cu(100) and polycrystalline graphite has been carried out, suggesting a duster growth of iron on polycrystalline copper.