Segregation-induced subsurface restructuring of FeAl(100)

Upon sputtering and subsequent annealing, the subsurface region of the (100) surface of FeAl undergoes a transition to a practically stable and ordered Fe{sub 3}Al slab. It is capped by an Al top layer forming a rather complex interface to the bulk FeAl. This shows that routine surface preparation procedures with sputtering involved can lead to substantial restructuring extending deep into the surface. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}