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Surface structure, bonding, and dynamics: The universality of zincblende (110) potential energy surfaces

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5979685

Using a tight-binding, total energy (TBTE) model we examine the hypothesis that the potential energy surfaces (PES) describing the (110) cleavage faces of the tetrahedrally coordinated, zincblende-structure compound semiconductors exhibit a common universal'' form if expressed in terms of suitably scaled parameters. TBTE calculations on both III-V and II-VI compounds reveal a linear scaling with bulk lattice constant of the geometric parameters of the reconstructed surfaces. This scaling is analogous to that found using low-energy, electron-diffraction surface-structure determination. The surface atomic force constants (found from a TBTE calculation) also scale monotonically with the lattice constant. Using TBTE models proposed previously for GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InP, and ZnSe, we find that the force constants scale as the inverse square of the bulk lattice constant. These results suggest that if distances are measured in units of the bulk lattice constant, the PES may be a universal function for the cleavage surface of zincblende-structure compound semiconductors, on average, with small fluctuations from this average occurring in individual materials. 22 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
5979685
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-19572; CONF-911132--13; ON: DE92005454
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English