CU 2P X-RAY-ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF THIN COPPER-FILMS GROWN ON FE(001)

We report on Cu 2p absorption spectra for 1-20 monolayers (ML) of copper deposited on Fe(001). A correlation is established between the structural phase of the thin Cu layers and the lineshape of the Cu 2p absorption edge. The continuous changes of the absorption lineshape as a function of copper thickness can be related to the structural change of the thin layers from b.c.c. to f.c.c. phase. We have proved that the variations in the spectra are not a surface effect and are not determined by the change of the chemical nature of the neighbours. The evolution in the 4-8 ML range suggests the occurrence of a continuous process rather than the coexistence of two distinct phases.