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Self-organized 2D nanopatterns after low-coverage Ga adsorption on Si (1 1 1)

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Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
, , Citation Thomas Schmidt et al 2005 New J. Phys. 7 193 DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/7/1/193

1367-2630/7/1/193

Abstract

The evolution of the Si(1 1 1) surface after submonolayer deposition of Ga has been observed in situ by low-energy electron microscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy. A phase separation of Ga-terminated -R 30° reconstructed areas and bare Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 regions leads to the formation of a two-dimensional nanopattern. The shape of this pattern can be controlled by the choice of the surface miscut direction, which is explained in terms of the anisotropy of the domain boundary line energy and a high kink-formation energy. A general scheme for the nanopattern formation, based on intrinsic properties of the Si(1 1 1) surface, is presented. Experiments performed with In instead of Ga support this scheme.

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10.1088/1367-2630/7/1/193