WHAT CAN HIGH-RESOLUTION ELECTRON-ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY TELL ABOUTPRE-MELTING OF SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES AT HIGH-TEMPERATURES

The Ge(111) surface undergoes a high-temperature phase transition at T (c) = 1050 K, only 160 K below the bulk melting temperature, T(m) = 12 10 K. Conflicting pictures have been offered for the state of the surf ace between T(c) and T(m). In this note we suggest that high-resolutio n electron energy loss spectroscopy may give new important information about the nature of the transition and in particular should be able t o prove if incomplete surface melting has occurred, leading to a thin metallic surface layer, as suggested by recent theoretical work.