ABSTRACTScanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to investigate the surface morphology of Ar+-ion bombarded Si(100) surfaces and to elucidate the very beginning stages of solid phase epitaxy (SPE) processes of the Ar+-ion bombarded Si surfaces. The Ar+-ion bombarded Si surface consists of hillocks of 1–2 nm in diameter and 0.35–0.75 nm in height. The onset of SPE initiates at around 590°C, at which temperature a (2×2) structure surrounded by amorphous regions is partially observed on terraces of the surface. During annealing at 590–620°C, the areas of the c(2×2) and c(4×4) reconstruction surrounded by amorphous regions develops. New defect models for the (2×2) and c(4×4) structures are proposed w here alternating arrangements of the buckled dimers together with missing dimer defects are considered. On the other hand, after thermal annealing of the Ar+-ion bombarded Si at 830°C for 10 sec, terraces of (2×1) and (1×2) orientations arc observed on the surface, and pyramidal structures on a nanometer-scale which consists of double-layer step edges (dimer rows perpendicular to terrace edge) arc observed.
Solid Phase Epitaxy on Si Surfaces Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. Solid-Phase Epitaxy Processes of Amorphous Si Layers on Si Substrates Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy.
