A LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON DIFFRACTION STUDY OF THE EPITAXIAL SILICON LAYERS ON A Ge(111) SURFACE

Silicon atoms were evaporated onto cleaned and annealed Ge(111) surfaces at a rate of 2 × 1014 atoms/cm2 min up to 40 min. Analyses of LEED patterns have revealed, on the substrate at 870°K, truncated tetrahedra consisting of reconstructed {311} and (111) planes, which have a 3 × 1 and a 7 × 7 superstructure, respectively. The 3 × 1 superstructure was observed on cleaned and annealed Si(311) surfaces in an independent experiment.