A recently discovered stable planar surface, (114), was considered. This high-index surface, which was oriented 19.5 away from (001) and towards (111), underwent a 2 x 1 reconstruction. A complete model for the reconstructed surface was proposed on the basis of scanning tunnelling microscopic images and first-principles total-energy calculations. It was found that the structure and stability of (114)-(2 x 1) arose from a balance between surface dangling bond reduction and surface stress relief. It also helped to understand the morphology of a family of surfaces that were oriented between (001) and (114).

S.C.Erwin, A.A.Baski, L.J.Whitman: Physical Review Letters, 1996, 77[4], 687-90