In situ REM and ex situ SPM studies of silicon (111) surface

Combination of experimental methods, including ultrahigh vacuum in situ reflection electron microscopy, scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy, has been applied for analysis of surface structure and dynamic processes on silicon (111) surfaces during sublimation, rapid temperature cooling, oxygen reactions and metal‐silicon surface phase formation. From analysis of triangular negative islands, 0.08 nm in depth, which were forming during quenching, it was deduced the effective activation energy of the island generation is equalled to ≈0.35 eV and made conclusion that the (1 × 1) ⇒ (7 × 7) phase transition on Si(111) assumes to be responsible for the negative island nucleation. On the base of the in situ REM study, the dependence of step motion, initiated by surface vacancies generation during oxygen‐silicon interaction, on the terrace width was measured. Peculiarities of the initial stages of silicon surface oxidation at low pressures were considered. From precision measurements, the top silicon atom density was determined for the metal‐silicon surface phase formed during Na, Ca, Mg and Ag deposition on clean silicon (111) surface. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)