We studied the influence of thermal annealing on the surface structure of (100) singlecrystal MgO substrates by atomic force microscopy (AFM). By annealing MgO substrates at various temperatures for 4 h in flowing oxygen, we showed that the surface reconstruction could be explained by considering surface diffusion, surface evaporation, and condensation. At an annealing temperature of 1473 K, a stepped structure was formed with screw dislocations acting as step sources. The influence of humidity on the surface morphology of MgO substrates was also studied by exposing them to a constant humidity of 40 and 80% for different times. After an exposure time of 1.5 h in 80% humidity, the substrate surface was already covered by reaction products. For the 40% humidity, the corresponding time is 10 h. The major reaction product was identified as Mg(OH)2 by x-ray diffraction.
Potassium Chloride Substrate Surface Structure and the Epitaxial Growth of Tin
