D Gruznev

Surface structure evolution during Sb adsorption on Si(1 1 1)–In(4×1) reconstruction

The Sb adsorption process on the Si( I 1 1)-In(4 x 1) surface phase was studied in the temperature range 200-400 °C. The formation of a Si(1 1 1)-InSb (2 x 2) structure was observed between 0.5 and 0.7 ML of Sb. This reconstruction decomposes when the Sb coverage approaches 1 ML and Sb atoms rearrange to (3 x 3) and (2 × 1) reconstructions; released In atoms agglomerate into islands of irregular shapes. During the phase transition process from InSb(2 x 2) to Sb(3 × 3) (θ Sb > 0.7 ML), we observed the formation of a metastable (4 x 2) structure. Possible atomic arrangements of the InSb(2 x 2) and metastable (4 x 2) phases were discussed.

Growth-temperature-dependent role of In(4×1) surface phase for the heteroepitaxy of InSb on Si(111)

Heteroepitaxial growth of InSb was performed on Si(111)–(7×7) and Si(111)–In(4×1) surface phases over a wide temperature range, by optimizing the growth rate and substrate temperature. When the heteroepitaxy was performed on the Si(111)–In(4×1) surface, the In(4×1) reconstruction modified the growth process depending on the growth temperature. At low temperatures, the In(4×1) reconstruction contributes mildly to the growth, and as the growth temperature increases, it starts degrading the quality of the films. For temperatures above 300 °C, the In(4×1) reconstruction virtually destroys the growth. In the present article, we illustrate this behavior using the growth of InSb on both Si(111)–(7×7) and Si(111)–In(4×1) surfaces at 210, 250, and 300 °C. Based on reflection high-energy electron diffraction observations, we discuss the initial stages of growth. A model for the interface formation is proposed based on our earlier results suggesting the temperature-dependent modification of In-induced surface phases...

Atomic structure and formation process of the Si(1 1 1)-Sb(√7 × √7) surface phase

During the study of Sb condensation on the Si(1 1 1)-In(3 x 3) surface phase we observed the formation of a new Sb-induced surface structure with (√7 x √7) lattice below 450 °C. This phase may not be prepared by direct Sb deposition on the Si(1 1 1) surface. Instead, the substitution for In atoms from T 4 bonding sites by incoming Sb and formation of a γ-phase strongly determine the Sb(√7 x √7) formation process. When the concentration of Sb exceeds the value of 0.2 ML the irreversible γ√3 → √7 phase transition occurs. Based on STM observations, the structural model for this reconstruction has been proposed.

Growth temperature effect on the heteroepitaxy of InSb on Si(111)

Abstract Direct growth of InSb on Si(111) substrate is achieved by suitably adjusting the growth rate and substrate temperature. In this report, we detail the role of stoichiometry and growth temperature in the evolution of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns, surface morphology and the crystal quality. InSb is grown on Si(111)-(7×7) surface by evaporating In and Sb simultaneously. Results indicate that smooth heteroepitaxial InSb films could be grown up to 300°C, and above this temperature, severe degradation in the epitaxial quality of the films is observed. Properties of the Sb-rich films are compared with those of In-rich films and the importance of stoichiometry in the crystal quality is discussed.

Role of In(4×1) superstructure on the heteroepitaxy of InSb on Si(111) substrate

Abstract Heteroepitaxial growth of InSb was performed on Si(111)-(7×7) and Si(111)–In(4×1) surface phases over a wide temperature range. We observed that In(4×1) reconstruction modifies the growth processes depending on the growth temperature. At low temperatures, it contributed mildly for the epitaxial growth and as growth temperature increases, it started degrading the quality of the films. For growth temperatures over 300°C, the In(4×1) reconstruction virtually destroys the epitaxial growth. Based on reflection high-energy electron diffraction observations, we discuss the initial stage of growth. Observed change in the growth modes is explained by the temperature-dependent modification of the In(4×1) during Sb adsorption.