Atomic structures of the Ge/Si(113)-(2 x 2) surface.
Based on scanning tunneling microscopy observations of the epitaxial growth of Ge on Si(113) and first-principles total energy and band calculations, we demonstrate that the Ge/Si(113)-(2 x 2) surface is made up of alternating [1;10]-oriented rows of rebonded atoms and tilted pentamers of five atoms, where each pentamer is stabilized by an interstitial atom at the subsurface. From the existence of stacking defects in rows of tilted pentamers observed at room temperature, we have deduced that at epitaxial temperatures the pentamers frequently change their tilting orientations between two minimum energy states.
Zhang
Zhaohui
Z
NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198, Japan.
Sumitomo
Koji
K
Omi
Hiroo
H
Ogino
Toshio
T
Nakamura
Jun
J
Natori
Akiko
A