TERMINATION, SURFACE-STRUCTURE AND MORPHOLOGY OF THE MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXIALLY GROWN HGTE(001) SURFACE

The surface structure of molecular beam epitaxially grown HgTe(001) ha s been studied under in situ ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The as-grown samples were investigated by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscop y (XPS), spot profile analysis of low-energy electron diffraction, ref lection of high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling mic roscopy (STM). They exhibited a c( 2 x 2) surface reconstruction with an additional weak (2 x 1) component in both diffraction experiments. The surface was shown by XPS to be terminated with Hg atoms. In additi on, by means of STM experiments, we have been able to resolve the atom ic structure of the reconstructed surface and to detect domain boundar ies along the [1 (1) over bar 0] direction whose local symmetry is two fold and, therefore, the probable cause of the weak (2 x 1) reconstruc tion. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)00248-4].