We have used scanning tunneling microscopy to study the behavior of indium on the Si(111)7×7 surface at low-metal coverages. At sufficiently low densities, In atoms replace Si in the 7×7 adatom positions, preserving the 7×7 structure. In this case the In atoms have a tendency to occupy positions along the edges of the unit cell rather than adjacent to the corner holes. Agglomeration of higher In densities around atomic steps can lead to local areas of √3×√3 reconstruction. Examination of a phase boundary between 7×7 and √3×√3 allows the identification of the bonding site of the In adatoms in the √3×√3 structure as the threefold symmetric site above a second layer Si atom in the surface Si double layer.
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Nogami et al. (1988) studied this question.