High-temperature real-time observation of surface defects induced by single ion irradiation using scanning-tunneling-microscope/ion-gun combined system

A high-temperature scanning-tunneling-microscope (STM)/low-energy ion-gun c ombined system has been developed in order to clarify the microscopic aspec ts of annealing processes of ion-irradiated Si surfaces. This system enable s us to perform atom-resolved high-temperature STM observation and ion beam irradiation simultaneously in ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Taking great ad vantage of this system, we have successfully obtained sequential STM images of high-temperature Si(111) surfaces irradiated with 3 keV Ar+ single ions . The STM results have shown that the surface defects induced by single ion irradiation show various changes in size and shape, which is considered to result from diffusion of vacancies and interstitial atoms in the substrate s, diffusion of atoms on the surface, and from an anisotropic character of the surface atomic arrangement. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.