| Abstract: | Microcrystalline regions of silicon dioxide with structures unobserved in the macro-state are studied by Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED). Their formation can be understood by considering the existence of several possible relatively stable crystalline states of SiO2, with free energies higher than those of the known silicon oxides. SiO2 with structures and lattices identical to the structures and the lattices of the CaF2-, of the rutile-type GeO2, and of α-PbO2 have been identified. Considerations for the state of silicon in some of these structures are also included. |
