Abstract
We present an analysis of Sn film growth on the fivefold surface of the icosahedral Al–Cu–Fe quasicrystal at multilayer coverage. Scanning tunnelling microscopy of the Sn-deposited surface revealed that film morphology differed from terrace to terrace. Most terraces exhibited flat-topped clusters with preferential growth at the step edges, while a minority of terraces showed a smooth film. The height, lateral size and density of clusters also varied between terraces. Clusters have a preference for specific heights.
Acknowledgement
Part of this work was supported by JST Solution-Oriented Research for Science and Technology (SORST) and JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. One of the authors (H.R.S.) would like to thank the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for a fellowship grant (IdNo. P04558). We also thank W. Theis at FU Berlin and V. Fournée at CNRS Nancy, for valuable suggestions.