Initial stages of gold adsorption on silicon stepped surface at elevated temperatures

摘要

Experimental study performed by ultrahigh vacuum reflection electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy reveals step instability on Si(111) surface during gold deposition at elevated temperatures (higher than 900 degrees C. Our results show that transformations of regular atomic steps into the system of step bunches and vice versa depend on the gold coverage and direction of the electrical current heating the sample. The mechanism and conditions of the surface morphology transformations are discussed.