An elevated temperature STM study of the Si(001) c(4x4)surface reconstruction

摘要

We have investigated structural of the Si(001) c(4x4) surface reconstruction in the temperature range between 600 deg C and 700 deg C in real time by elevated temperature STM.Shape changes of steps and trenches as well as smudges visible in STM images indicate that silicon is much more mobile on the (2x1) reconstructed than on the c(4x4) reconstructed areas at 600 deg C.Increasing the temperature to 700 deg C leads to the disappearance of the c(4x4) reconstruction.This happens by erosion from the circumference rather than by fragmentation of the c(4x4) reconstructed area.