AVS 45th International Symposium
    Surface Science Division Friday Sessions
       Session SS1-FrM

Paper SS1-FrM7
Spontaneous Domain Formation on Ge(001)

Friday, November 6, 1998, 10:20 am, Room 308

Session: Surface Structure and Strain
Presenter: H.J.W. Zandvliet, University of Twente, The Netherlands
Authors: H.J.W. Zandvliet, University of Twente, The Netherlands
B.S. Swartzentruber, Sandia National Laboratories
E. Zoethout, University of Twente, The Netherlands
G. Rosenfeld, University of Twente, The Netherlands
B. Poelsema, University of Twente, The Netherlands
Correspondent: Click to Email
Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements of Ge(001) reveal the presence of an ordered domain pattern consisting of c(4x2) and (2x1) domains arranged in stripes with a width of several dimer row spacings, oriented along the dimer rows. We suggest that the existence of a soft domain wall between the domains combined with a difference in the stress component along the dimer bond for the (2x1) and c(4x2) domains, respectively, can produce such an ordered domain phase. We have observed fluctuations of the domain walls indicating that the system is in thermal equilibrium. A simple model based on strain relaxation explains the observed size of the domain pattern.