Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to study the Er interaction on the Cre(lll) substrate reconstructed c(2 X 8). In the submonolayer range, a homogeneous two-dimensional (2D) (1 X 1) reconstructed island distribution is observed for an Er deposit at room temperature with an additional annealing at 500 degreesC. However, when Er is deposited on substrate held at 500 degreesC, a significant modification in the surface morphology has been observed: 2D islands are accumulated at the step edges due to the high Cre and Er atom mobility. Moreover, for temperature under 500 degreesC, STM images have revealed the presence of metastable rod-shaped islands. Above 1 ML Er deposit, the interface displays a thin film reconstructed root3 X root 3R30 degrees with a layer-by-layer growth mode.