Regular stripe patterns are formed in skeletonized LB films of two arachidic acid monolayers deposited
on Si wafers from Cd2+-containing aqueous subphase after monolayer transfer at pH 5.7. These stripe
patterns are very different from those less regular patterns observed at lower or higher pH values of the
aqueous subphase. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and phase shift interference microscopy (PSIM) studies
have shown that these stripes are grooves aligned in definite distances along the meniscus and perpendicular
to the dipping direction of the monolayer transfer. There exist deep straight grooves of about 6 nm depth
in a regular distance and between them less marked stripelike defect lines. These regular stripe patterns
occur only in the skeletonized LB films, but they are already preformed during the monolayer transfer
onto the solid substrate. The formation of the regular stripe patterns is decisively affected by the arachidic
acid/cadmium arachidate ratio but also by the dipping rate. The direct correlation to the autooscillations
of the meniscus suggests an electrohydrodynamic instability mechanism as cause for the nonuniform
ordering and composition of the LB film.