Self-organized patterning of an insulator-on-metal system by surface faceting and selective growth: NaCl/Cu(211)

We report experimental results on an insulator-on-metal system which is inherently unstable against lateral pattern formation on the nanometer scale. NaCl deposition on Cu(211) at substrate temperatures >300 K leads to faceting into (311) and (111) facets and selective NaCl growth on (311) facets only, thereby creating alternating stripes of bare Cu and NaCl-covered areas. The mesoscopic restructuring process is brought about by (1) the tendency to form (100)-terminated NaCl layers, (2) epitaxial matching between NaCl(100) and Cu(311), and (3) sufficient mobility of the Cu substrate surface.