Abstract
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of Si(100−(2 × 1) surfaces bombarded by low-dose 3 keV Ar + ions show random missing Si dimer vacancies which order into line-vacancies perpendicular to the dimer rows upon annealing to 600–850°C. STM images also show the creation of dimer vacancies by desorption on the Si(100)−(2 × 1) surface when it reacts with molecular oxygen and atomic hydrogen forming volatile SiO and SiH 4 respectively. For the oxygen case, the reaction takes place at temperatures between 600 and 700°C; while for the atomic hydrogen case, the reaction takes place at room temperature followed by annealing to 550°C. In both cases, line-vacancies perpendicular to the dimer rows similar to ion bombardment are observed. Irrespective of the method of creation of dimer vacancies, their ordering into lines can be explained theoretically by a long-range repulsion between vacancies located in the same dimer row and a slight attraction between vacancies in adjacent rows. The formation of vacancy lines is thus thermodynamically driven but kinetically controlled.
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