Scanning tunneling microscopy observation of surface reconstruction of Si(100) during chemical vapor deposition from Si2H6

Abstract

This study employs real-time high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to examine the evolution of the surface atomic structure of Si(100) during homoepitaxy by chemical vapor deposition at 625 degrees C. At the initial stage, a (2 x n) structure is gradually formed, and the growth mode is pure step flow, followed by double step flow after a single-domain surface is obtained due to faster step advance of S-B than S-A. As growth proceeds, areas with c(4 x 4) symmetry appear, grow, and eventually cover the entire surface. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.