A new method to determine surface lattice constants by a low energy electron diffraction system

Abstract

The method makes efficient use of critical reflection of electron beams along a crystal surface and allowed sources of error such as improper alignment of the apparatus and warping of its components to be more easily minimized. Possible errors in this method were analysed and expressions for these errors were derived. The method was applied to measurements on the (001) surface of single crystal alpha iron. The distance d₁₁₀ between atomic rows in the (110) direction was measured and the result d₁₁₀=2.0263 AA was obtained with a total error of less than 0.18%.