Mn overlayers growth on PbTe(111) have been investigated by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS).The strong chemical interactions were found during the formation of Mn/PbTe(111) interface.At the initial deposition of Mn,one part of Mn adatoms substitute Pb atoms on the PbTe(111) surface,forming a (√3×√3)R30o MnTe phase,and the other part of Mn adatoms,together with the kicked-out Pb atoms,nucleate at the boundaries of the MnTe islands,forming loop islands around the MnTe islands as an intermediate state.