Abstract
Study on new types of step instability on a Si(111) vicinal surface inducedby the direct current heating effect by reflection electron microscopy andoptical microscopy is reviewed. One step instability is in-phase step wanderingand the other is a periodic step density wave (PSDW). The former is due toelectromigration of Si adatoms and steps are aligned in phase without changing meanstep–step distance. This instability occurs at temperatures between 1000 and1200 °C,under the step-down current heating condition. Steps are in the sinusoidal shape and theirwavelength is in the micron order. The wavelength does not depend on the mean step–stepdistance or off-angle of the vicinal surface nor annealing time. The latter is induced by Auadsorption under step-down current heating at temperature between 830 and930 °C where extremely straight step bands and Si(111) terraces are aligned periodically. Thedriving force of the PSDW is the modification of step structure due to electromigration ofAu adatoms. These phenomena might be useful for micro-fabrication of surface fromthe industrial point of view as well as interesting from the fundamental point ofview.
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