DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR IN-CRYSTALLITE GROWTH ON SPUTTER-INDUCED INP CONES

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy proved that the cone evolution on Ar+-sputtered InP(100) entails the growth of In crystalli tes on the cone surface, obviously due to a preferential loss of P ato ms. The In crystallites grew on the cone shank, as well as the cone ti p, in a definite orientation formulated as InP(011) parallel-to In(010 ) with InP[001] parallel-to In[101BAR]. The cones themselves were sole ly composed of InP, but involved the polycrystalline phase surrounding the original monocrystalline phase. Such a structural duality of InP cones may indicate that the target surface was in a quasi-liquid state during sputtering.