Clean and metal‐contaminated Si(110) surfaces studied by RHEED, XPS and STM

Abstract

SUMMARY We have studied the atomic structure of clean and metal‐contaminated Si(110) surfaces in real space with Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and compared the results with Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) data taken on samples from the same wafer. On clean Si(110) surfaces flat reconstructed regions coexist with (15 17 1), (15 173) and related facets. The surface consists of periodically‐alternating high and low terraces, with a height difference corresponding to the interlayer spacing (0·19 nm). This structure is found in two domains, with terrace edges aligned along the and directions respectively. Atomic scale zig‐zag chains can be recognized on the terraces. Contamination of the surface with Ni or Cu results in the formation of reconstructions with drastically different unit cells, all orientated along [001] and . The transition proceeds via a disordered 5×1‐like intermediate phase for Ni coverages around 0·007 ML.