Surface modification of silicon (111) by annealing at high temperature in hydrogen

Abstract

A vicinal silicon (111) surface exhibits well defined single steps after being annealed at 1200 °C in hydrogen, which is in sharp contrast with step bunches featuring the surface annealed in argon. As a temporary explanation for its ability to unzip the step bunches, we suggest that hydrogen destroys the faulted triangles of a [112̄] step, eliminates this kind of step, and eventually leaves the single [1̄1̄2] steps alone behind on the surface.