Laser desorption from and reconstruction on Si(100) surfaces studied by scanning tunneling microscopy
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6142 (United States)
Laser irradiated Si(100) surfaces were studied with an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy system. Our observations indicate that only the dimerized outermost atomic layer is removed if the laser fluence is below the melting threshold at photon energy larger than the band gap. The newly exposed layer, surprisingly, did not have a dimerized atomic structure, but rather, resembled that of a bulk-terminated structure. The uncovered layer remained atomically smooth (no vacancies) even after 90{percent} of the outermost layer was removed. A possible explanation of these observations is that atom removal occurs by a preferential breakage of the atomic bonds in defect sites. When the laser fluence was increased to levels above the melting threshold, extensive surface roughening occurs. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Vacuum Society}
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 280140
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena, Vol. 14, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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