  The physical properties of ultrathin NaCl overlayers on the stepped Cu(311)
surface have been characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and
spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. Simulations of STM images
and differential conductance spectrum were based on the Tersoff-Hamann
approximation for tunneling with corrections for the modified tunneling barrier
at larger voltages and calculated Kohn-Sham states. Characteristic features
observed in the STM images can be directly related to calculated electronic and
geometric properties of the overlayers. The measured apparent barrier heights
for the mono-, bi-, and trilayers of NaCl and the corresponding
adsorption-induced changes in the work function, as obtained from the distance
dependence of the tunneling current, are well reproduced by and understood from
the calculated results. The measurements revealed a large reduction of the
tunneling conductance in a wide voltage region, resembling a band gap. However,
the simulated spectrum showed that only the onset at positive sample voltages
may be viewed as a valence band edge, whereas the onset at negative voltages is
caused by the drastic effect of the electric field from the tip on the
tunneling barrier.
