Si(313) 12 x 1: Another metallic stable surface of silicon having a complex reconstructed layer - art. no. 085301

By means of scanning tunneling microscopy, the Si(313)12 x 1 surface has be en found to be, after Si(111)7 x 7, another stable elemental semiconductor surface with a metallic nature. On the basis of the details revealed by the high resolution STM images, an atomically rough model consisting of trench es and a variety of building entities has been proposed for the surface str ucture for further investigation. The common features of major stable silic on surfaces as well as the similarities and differences between these surfa ces and their germanium counterparts are discussed in the context of the dr iving forces behind the reconstruction of elemental semiconductor surfaces.