Surface stress measurement of Si(111) 77 reconstruction by comparison with hydrogen-terminated 11 surface

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 591; pp. 200 - 203
• Main Authors: Asaoka, Hidehito, Uozumi, Yuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-09-2015
• Subjects: Evolution; Instrumentation; Reconstruction; Stress measurement; Stresses; Tensile stress; Thin films; Transformations
• ISSN: 0040-6090
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2015.03.055

We have focused on measurements of the surface stress in Si(111) as a function of 77 reconstruction by comparison with the hydrogen (H)-terminated Si(111) 11 surface. In order to obtain information on both the surface stress and the surface reconstruction simultaneously, we have combined the surface-curvature and the reflection-high-energy-electron-diffraction instrumentations in an identical ultrahigh vacuum system. The stress evolution shows a decrease of tensile stress corresponding to the formation of H-termination at the beginning of the atomic H exposure of Si(111) 77 surface. After the above treatment, a complete transformation of the surface structure occurs from the reconstructed surface to the 11 one. As a result, we find the H-terminated Si(111) 11 surface releases 1.7N/m (=J/m2), or (1.4eV/(11 unit cell)), of the surface energy from the strong tensile Si(111) 77 reconstruction.