Adsorbate-induced faceting of high-index semiconductor surfaces: antimony adsorbed on Ge(103)

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction and reflection high-energy electron diffraction were used to monitor changes in the morphology of Ge(103) surfaces after adsorption of antimony and annealing at different temperatures for various durations. After deposition of Sb at room temperature, the Sb-covered Ge(103) surface breaks up on annealing into small irregular pyramids, which coalesce and form more regular quasi-one-dimensional `hill-and-valley' structures bounded by reconstructed {113} facets. The average periodicity of the structures approaches a constant maximum value in the nanometer range. The symmetry of the substrate with respect to the facets constrains the formation of single domain nanostructures.