Truncation-induced multilayer relaxation of the Al(110) surface

Results from a low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) analysis of the Al(110) surface are presented and discussed. The results indicate that a multilayer relaxation exists in the Al(110) surface region such that the spacing between layers 1 and 2 has a relative change Δd12 of -8.5% from the bulk value, while Δd23 = +5.5%, Δd34 = +2.2%, and Δd45 = +1.6%. When these results are compared with those from an independent LEED analysis, excellent agreement is found between results for Δd12 and Δd23. However, a disagreement is found to exist between the results of the two analyses for Δd34. When this disagreement is considered in relationship to predictions of a recent theory for the multilayer relaxation of metallic surfaces, the importance of future work to resolve this Δd34 discrepancy is apparent