TY - JOUR
T1 - Phase coexistence and morphology at the Si(1 1 0) surface phase transition
AU - Swiech, Waclaw
AU - Schwarz-Selinger, Thomas
AU - Cahill, David G.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Division of Materials Sciences under Award no. DEFG02-91-ER45439, through the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. LEEM studies used the facilities of the Center for Microanalysis of Materials at the University of Illinois and is partially supported by the US DOE.
PY - 2002/11/1
Y1 - 2002/11/1
N2 - We use low-energy electron microscopy to study the microstructure of the '16 × 2' to (1 × 1) phase transition of Si(1 1 0). At temperatures within several degrees of Tc = 734 °C, two domains of the low temperature 16 × 2 phase coexist with the high temperature (1 × 1) phase. We demonstrate this phase coexistence through the reversibility of the areal fractions of each phase under small, ΔT ≈ 2 °C, temperature excursions near Tc. The phase-fractions respond quickly, on the order of 10 min, to these temperature excursions. The size of the 16 × 2 domains is controlled by the extent of relatively large terraces that form by the bunching of several atomic-height steps. Substrates with morphologies modified by laser texturing show how the nucleation of the low temperature domains varies with surface orientation near (1 1 0).
AB - We use low-energy electron microscopy to study the microstructure of the '16 × 2' to (1 × 1) phase transition of Si(1 1 0). At temperatures within several degrees of Tc = 734 °C, two domains of the low temperature 16 × 2 phase coexist with the high temperature (1 × 1) phase. We demonstrate this phase coexistence through the reversibility of the areal fractions of each phase under small, ΔT ≈ 2 °C, temperature excursions near Tc. The phase-fractions respond quickly, on the order of 10 min, to these temperature excursions. The size of the 16 × 2 domains is controlled by the extent of relatively large terraces that form by the bunching of several atomic-height steps. Substrates with morphologies modified by laser texturing show how the nucleation of the low temperature domains varies with surface orientation near (1 1 0).
KW - Low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM)
KW - Silicon
KW - Surface structure, morphology, roughness, and topography
KW - Surface thermodynamics (including phase transitions)
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U2 - 10.1016/S0039-6028(02)02216-1
DO - 10.1016/S0039-6028(02)02216-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0036838897
SN - 0039-6028
VL - 519
SP - L599-L603
JO - Surface Science
JF - Surface Science
IS - 1-2
ER -