Reflection electron microscope study of hydrogen atom adsorption on Si(111)7 × 7 surfaces

Si(111)7 × 7 surfaces were exposed to hydrogen atoms and changes of the surfaces during the exposure and subsequent annealing were in-situ observed by ultrahigh vacuum reflection electron microscopy. At room temperature the structure transformed to the so-called δ−7 ×7 structure which gave superlattice reflections mainly along lines which connect the neighboring fundamental reflections. The surface images did not show orientational domains, which indicated that the δ−7 × 7 structure is not composed of three domains of a 7 × 1 structure. Atomic step configurations did not change during the process. This was also the case when the δ−7 × 7 structure transformed to the 7 × 7 structure of the clean surface by annealing above 450 °C.     

Silver schottky contacts on Si(111)∶ H-(1×1) surfaces prepared by wet-chemical etching

Schottky contacts were prepared by evaporation of silver on H-terminated Si(111) surfaces at room temperature. The Si(111)H-(1×1) surfaces were obtained by wet-chemical etching in buffered hydrofluoric acid. The zero-bias barrier heights and the ideality factors, which were determined fromI/V characteristics measured with these contacts, were found to be linearly correlated. This plot gives a zero-bias barrier height of 0.74 eV for an ideality factor of 1.01 which is obtained for image-force lowering of the barrier only. The barrier heights observed here equal the one found with Ag/Si(111)-(1×1) contacts. They were prepared by Ag evaporation onto clean Si(111)-(7×7) surfaces at room temperature and subsequent heat treatments. The present result is explained by the desorption of the hydrogen adatoms during the deposition of Ag and the existence of a (1×1)-structure at the Ag/Si(111) interface.     

STM study of structural changes on Si(100)2×1-Sb surface induced by atomic hydrogen

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED), we have studied the structural changes of the Si(100)2×1-Sb surface caused by hydrogen adsorption at both room temperature (RT) and 300°C. We have found that the ordering of a 2×1-Sb surface is more stable against atomic hydrogen exposure at 300°C than at RT, and that some Sb atoms desorb during atomic hydrogen exposure at 300°C. However, upon hydrogen exposure at both temperatures, we have observed neither three-dimensional islands nor the hydrogen terminated Si substrate which were reported for hydrogen interaction with the other metal/Si systems. On the 2×1-Sb surface exposed to atomic hydrogen of 1000 L at RT followed by 550°C annealing, long bright lines similar to those reported for the Bi/Si(100) system have also been found.     

STM study of nucleation of Ag on Si(111)−(7 × 7) surface

Initial stages of Ag on Si(111)−(7 × 7) surface nucleation were studied at submonolayer coverage. Samples were prepared by thermal evaporation of Ag from tungsten wire under UHV conditions (p<2.5 × 10⁻⁸ Pa). Various deposition rates (0.002–0.1 ML s⁻¹) were used to prepare Ag island films with coverages (0.002–2) ML (1 ML ≈ 7.58 × 10¹⁴ atoms cm⁻²) at room temperature. We observed preferential growth on faulted half unit cells (F cells). At constant coverage both the island density and ratio of occupied F and U (unfaulted) cells are independent of the deposition rate, which is an evidence for dominant influence of substrate structure. The preference of nucleation in the F cells against U cells decreases with the coverage until the ratio is 1:1 for 1 ML Ag film. We have observed that presence of an Ag island in any type of the half unit cell (F or U) considerably reduces nucleation probability in neighbouring cells. This results in forming of structural patterns observed among randomly grown Ag-islands which is a new feature found for Ag/Si(111)−(7 × 7) system. Presented at the VIII-th Symposium on Surface Physics, Třešt’ Castle, Czech Republic, June 28 – July 2, 1999. This work was supported by the Grant Agency of Charles University — projects GAUK 34/97 and 147/99, by the Grant Agency of Czech Republic — project GAČR 202/97/1109 and by the Ministry of Education grant VS 97116.     

Low energy laser photoelectron study of defect states on cleaved Si(111)2 × 1 surfaces

Step-associated surface defect states on good cleaved surfaces of Si(111)2 × 1 have been sensitively observed without a background of valence-band or intrinsic surface-state photoelectrons, by exciting with tunable laser photons below the valence photoemission threshold.     

Continuous-time observation of pseudo-vacancy diffusion at Si(111)-7 × 7 surfaces

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to study surface diffusion of a special type of point defects at Si(111)-7 × 7 surfaces. These defects survive even after annealing up to 1250°C. They appear darker than Si adatoms at the tunneling biases ranging from −3 to +3 V, but they are not true vacancies. We found that these vacancy-like defects (hereafter, we refer to them as pseudo-vacancies) are not caused by adsorption of major contaminants in the vacuum chamber, nor by dopants. We also observed migration of pseudo-vacancies between nearest neighboring Si adatom sites at temperatures above 500°C. Most of the jumps are within a half of the 7 × 7 unit cell. Thousands of STM images were recorded from 520 to 610°C and the activation energies and frequency factors were determined. Varying the tunneling current produces almost no effect on the diffusion, but varying the scanning speed produces a small effect.     

First-principle study of Mg adsorption on Si（111） surfaces

We have carried out first-principle calculations of Mg adsorption on Si(111) surfaces. Different adsorption sites and coverage effects have been considered. We found that the threefold hollow adsorption is energy-favoured in each coverage considered, while for the clean Si(111) surface of metallic feature, we found that 0.25 and 0.5 ML Mg adsorption leads to a semiconducting surface. The results for the electronic behaviour suggest a polarized covalent bonding between the Mg adatom and Si(111) surface.     

Si(111)−√3 × √3 R30°: Si mediated by hydrogen desorption

A scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study was carried out for a structural change of the Si(111) surface induced by the desorption of hydrogen (H-) atoms from hydrogenated Si-clusters on a Si(111)−1 × 1: H surface. After the complete desorption of the H-atoms, a new surface reconstruction of √3 × √3 R30°: Si was found near 535°C, which is characterized by the Si-adatom arrangement at T₄ sites on the Si(111)−1 × 1 surface. The appearance of this reconstruction can be explained by the redistribution of Si-adatom from the Si-clusters on Si(111)−1 × 1 surface during H-desorption.     

Thiophene on Si(111)2×1: Synchrotron radiation study of a desulfurization process

The adsorption and desulfurization of thiophene on cleaved silicon was studied at different temperatures. For substrate temperatures of 60–85 K, we found the co-existence of two different adsorption states at low exposures, which yield to a condensed thiophene multilayer at high exposures. For room-temperature substrates, we observed a desulfurization process. The process is probably followed by further fragmentation, and the fragmentation path depends on the substrate preparation process.     

Ab initio study of Yb on the Ge(111)–(3 × 2) and Si(111)–(3 × 2) surfaces

The surface reconstruction, 3 × 2, induced by Yb adsorption on a Ge (Si)(111) surface has been studied using first principles density-functional calculation within the generalized gradient approximation. The two different possible adsorption sites have been considered: (i) H₃ (this site is directly above a fourth-layer Ge (Si) atom) and (ii) T₄ (directly above a second-layer Ge (Si) atom). We have found that the total energies corresponding to these binding sites are nearly the same, indeed for the Yb/Ge (Si)(111)–(3 × 2) structure the T₄ model is slightly energetic by about 0.01 (0.08) eV/unitcell compared with the H₃ model. In particular for the Ge sublayer, the energy difference is small, and therefore it is possible that the T₄, H₃, or T₄H₃ (half of the adatoms occupy the T₄ adsorption site and the rest of the adatoms are located at the H₃ site) binding sites can coexist with REM/Ge(111)–(3 × 2). In contrast to the proposed model, we have not determined any buckling in the Ge = Ge double bond. The electronic band structures of the surfaces and the corresponding natures of their orbitals have also been calculated. Our results for both substrates are seen to be in agreement with the recent experimental data, especially that of the Yb/Si(111)–(3 × 2) surface.     

Atomic geometry of Si(111) 7×7 by dynamical low-energy electron diffraction

A complete determination of individual atomic coordinates for the Si(111) 7×7 surface has been carried out by dynamical low-energy electron diffraction. The dimer-adatom-stacking fault (DAS) model, after large vertical and lateral relaxations, was found to produce calculated spectra in remarkably good agreement with the data. Atoms in the faulted half of the unit cell are raised from those of the unfaulted half. Adatoms at corner sites are higher than those at center sites.     

Site discrimination of adatoms in Si(111)-7 × 7 by noncontact atomic force microscopy

Site discrimination of adatoms in Si(111)-7 × 7 by dynamic mode noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) in ultrahigh vacuum has been demonstrated. At a fixed frequency shift, NC-AFM images were acquired at various amplitudes. At amplitudes less than 30 nm_p-p, no atomic image was observed. At 33 nm_p-p, clearly resolved atomic images showed 6 bright atoms in one half of each 7 × 7 unit cell and 6 less bright atoms in the other half of each unit cell. Furthermore, the corner adatoms were observed to be higher. At 36 nm_p-p, such differences were not observed. The observed site differences are not derived by the differences in the actual positions of adatoms, but by the differences in the interactions between the atom at the AFM tip apex and the adatoms on the Si surface.     

Site selective SiH4 adsorption on Si(111)(7 × 7) surfaces

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to investigate room temperature adsorption and dissociation of SiH₄ on Si(111)(7 × 7) surfaces. The data show a pronounced site selectivity for this process. Initially the reaction involves exclusively the corner holes and the adjacent Si adatoms of the (7 × 7) reconstruction, with preferential adsorption of SiH₃ groups in the corner holes and of H atoms on one of the adjacent corner adatoms. For higher SiH₄ exposures the reactivity of the corner adatoms is significantly reduced, hydrogen adsorption occurs preferentially on the center adatoms. Deposited SiH_x groups (x = 2, 3) nucleate now in small clusters on the terraces. A higher density of these SiH_x clusters on domain boundaries or at steps indicates a higher reactivity of these defect sites.     

Initial stages of oxidation of GaAs(111)2 × 2-Ga surfaces

The initial interaction of oxygen at room temperature with GaAs(111)2 × 2-Ga surfaces has been studied by quantitative Auger analysis and low-energy electron diffraction, under different electron irradiation and gas ionization conditions. Oxygen fills first the non-vacancy overlayer sites with a preferential bond to the Ga atoms. This adsorption phase is characterized by the absence of chemical shifts in the Ga Auger peaks that involve core levels. The oxidation stage begins with the occupation of the underlayer sites below the first Ga-As bilayer. For coverages lower than 2 monolayers oxygen adsorption and incorporation takes place without any loss of Ga or As atoms of the surface layers. Electron irradiation and gas ionization of the oxygen-covered surface increase the kinetics up to two orders of magnitude, but no changes in the adsorption sites and/or occupation sequence have been detected.