| STM/STS Investigations of Surface Evolution of Si(111)-(7x7) Induced with Nickel |
| J. Gutek a , S. Szuba a and R. Czajka a,b a Institute of Physics, Faculty of Technical Physics, Poznań University of Technology, Nieszawska 13a, 60-965 Poznań, Poland b Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Tohoku University Aramaki-Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan |
| Full Text PDF |
| By means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy we studied the surface evolution of Si(111)-(7x7) induced with nickel followed by annealing at specified temperatures (400, 600, and 800°C). Nickel evaporation resulted with 0.05ML and 0.2ML coverage was carried out at room temperature with the use of solid phase epitaxy. The characteristic phase formations occurred after gradual annealing the sample depending on the amount of deposited material. At very low coverages scanning tunneling microscopy observation showed two types of ring clusters (1x1-RC and clusters of the 19 1/2 x19 1/2 reconstruction) accompanied by the Si(111)-(7x7) surface reconstruction. All above-mentioned phases appeared in that order as the annealing temperature increased. Deposition of about 0.2ML of Ni followed by annealing at 600°C formed extended regions of 1x1 nickel silicide reconstruction. Very clear, extended regions of 19 1/2 x19 1/2 reconstruction appeared when annealed to 800°C. The electronic properties of observed structures have been studied by the scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Spectroscopy curves measured above certain surface formations revealed the presence of the Si rest atom, NiSi, and NiSi 2 local density of electronic states. |
| DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.104.345 PACS numbers: 68.37.Ef, 68.47.Fg, 73.20.At |