Very flat thin films of (111) oriented gold have been prepared using the template-strip method described by Hegner et al. (Surf. Sci. 291 (1993) 39-46). The images show flat terraces with steps having the height of one monolayer gold.
The STM images were taken under ambient conditions using mechanically prepared Pt-Ir tips. Typical tunneling parameters of 1nA tunneling current and 0.6V GapVoltage were applied. The monolayer steps are clearly visible
For a description see Hegner et al. (Surf. Sci. 291 (1993) 39-46
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