Changes of morphology, structure, and magnetism of Fe on stepped Cu(111)

We have studied the morphology, structure and magnetism of Fe films thermally deposited on stepped Cu(111) by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). At room temperature, in the submonolayer range Fe films grow as quasi one-dimensional stripes along the upper step edges due to a strong decoration effect. Between 1.4 and 1.8 monolayer coverage the stripes percolate and become two-dimensional films. Between 2.3 and 2.7 monolayer coverage the films undergo a structural transition from fcc(111) to bcc[110] with Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation. In the fcc range the films have a low net magnetic moment, and a perpendicular easy magnetization axis. The magnetization switches to an in-plane high-moment phase correlated with the fcc to bcc structural transformation.