This paper reports on Au(111) vicinal surfaces, either regularly stepped surfaces, reconstructed or not, or periodically faceted surfaces, which are well suited to be used as templates for organized growth of clusters. Angles of misorientation with respect to the (111) plane lie between 1 • and 12 • and two opposite azimuths are considered: (i) [211], that leads to steps with {100} microfacets, and (ii) [211], that leads to steps with {111} microfacets. The behaviour of the Au(111) reconstruction in the vicinity of steps depends drastically on the step microstructure, and this is a key point for understanding the various periodic morphologies existing on Au(111) vicinal surfaces. The interaction between the reconstruction and the close-packed steps of the Au(111) surface is interpreted in terms of the relative stability of both types of step. Self-organized morphologies between 10 and 100 nm are interpreted within the framework of elastic theory and by pointing out the crucial role played by the atomic boundary energy term. The microscopic origin of faceting is discussed, proposing two different models depending on each azimuth. Then, we illustrate the use of Au(111) vicinal surfaces as templates for growing long range ordered nanostructures. Examples are given in the case of cobalt growth.

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Self-organization on Au(1,1,1) vicinal surfaces provides a unique opportunity to study the interplay between atomic and mesoscopic order. First, experimental results demonstrate the different interactions between steps and surface reconstruction on Au(1,1,1) vicinal surfaces. Depending on the step atomic structure, lines of discommensurations are found to be either parallel or perpendicular to the step edges. This leads to a complete understanding of the mesoscopic self-organization on theses surfaces, which drastically depends on the step structure. This points out the crucial role played by the edge energy cost which can monitor the faceting periodicity in a wide range of values.

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Due to its famous 22× √ 3 reconstruction, the Au(111) surface can be considered as an ideal substrate to grow nanostructured arrays of metallic clusters. In this letter, we report a complete investigation of the interaction between this reconstruction and the close-packed steps of the Au(111) surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy experiments clearly demonstrate that the behaviour of the reconstruction in the vicinity of steps depends drastically on the step microstructure. This result, of particular interest for the managing of new nanostructured substrates, is interpreted in terms of the relative stability of both types of steps.