High-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy of phonons at semiconductor surfaces

Abstract

Semiconductor surface phonons and their dispersion may be measured with high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy since transmission and resolution of electron spectrometers have been improved substantially during the past decades. The present article reviews briefly the main features of this method and the characteristic problems if it is applied to semiconductor surfaces. Recent experimental and theoretical results at clean GaAs(110) and InP(110) surfaces are presented. They reveal similarities in the dynamics of (110) surfaces of III–V compounds. At well-ordered adlayers on Si(111), dispersions of surface phonons have been investigated. Experimental data of H- and As-terminated Si(111)-1×1 surfaces are presented and discussed.