Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy study of InP(001) surface reconstructions

The reconstructions of the InP(001) surface prepared by molecular beam epit axy have been studied with in situ reflection high-energy electron diffract ion (RHEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The growth chamber con tains a highly accurate temperature measurement system and uses a solid-sou rce, cracked phosphorus, valved effusion cell. Five InP(001) reconstruction s are observed with RHEED by analyzing patterns in three principal directio ns. Under a fixed P-2 flux, decreasing the substrate temperature gives the following reconstructions: c(2 X 8), (2 X 4), (2 X 1), (2 X 2), and c(4 x 4 ). In situ STM images reveal that only two of these reconstructions yields long-range periodicity in real space. InP(001) does not form the metal rich (4 x 2) reconstruction, which is surprising because the (4 X 2) reconstruc tion has been coined the universal surface reconstruction since all III-V(0 01) surfaces were thought to favor its formation. (C) 2000 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2101(00)05904-2].