H 2 S exposure of a (100)Ge surface: Evidences for a (2×1) electrically passivated surface

Abstract

The experimental study of the bonding geometry of a (100)Ge surface exposed to H2S in the gas phase at 330°C shows that 1 ML S coverage with (2×1) surface reconstruction can be achieved. The amount of S on the Ge surface and the observed surface periodicity can be explained by the formation of disulfide bridges between Ge–Ge dimers on the surface. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations confirm the preserved (2×1) reconstruction after dissociative adsorption of H2S molecules on a (100)Ge (2×1) surface, and predict the formation of (S–H)–(S–H) inter-Ge dimer bridges, i.e., disulfide bridges interacting via hydrogen bonding. The computed energy band gap of this atomic configuration is shown to be free of surface states, a very important finding for the potential application of Ge in future high performance integrated circuits.