Discrete row growth during the initial stage of molecular beam epitaxy of rare gases and metals on the vicinal Pt(997) surface has been observed. The row-by-row growth is revealed by intensity oscillations in thermal-energy atom scattering at grazing incidence. Thermodynamic modeling provides an estimate of the excess binding energy close to the step edges.

• Received 2 August 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.94