Published in Appl. Phys. A 66, S974 (1998).
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of the GaN(0001) Surface
A. R. Smith, R. M. Feenstra
Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
D. W. Greve
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
J. Neugebauer
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
J. E. Northrup
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
Abstract
In-situ scanning tunneling microscopy studies have been
performed on the GaN(0001) surface. Four dominant
reconstructions have been observed: 1×1, 3×3,
6×6, and c(6×12). The 1×1 structure is formed by
annealing the as-grown GaN surface to desorb excess Ga atoms. The
higher order reconstructions are formed by depositing sub-monolayer
quantities of Ga atoms onto this 1×1 surface. STM images
showing the details of the reconstructions are presented, and results
of quantitative measurements of the number of Ga atoms required to
form the various reconstructions are reported. Structural models are
compared with the STM data. Reversible order/disorder phase
transitions and adatom motion on the GaN surface are discussed.
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