The surface structures of homo-epitaxial (001) films were studied by means of the scanning tunnelling microscopy of B-doped films which had been grown onto natural diamond substrates. The resultant images revealed a dimer-type 2 x 1 reconstruction, with well-resolved dimers. The surface consisted of alternating terraces of 2 x 1 and 1 x 2 dimerization which were separated by single-layer steps with inequivalent step edges along <110> directions. Double-layer steps which ran parallel to the dimer rows of the upper terraces were observed locally. Local 3 x 1 configurations, antiphase boundaries and dimer vacancies were also observed.

Y.Kuang, Y.Wang, N.Lee, A.Badzian, T.Badzian, T.T.Tsong: Applied Physics Letters, 1995, 67[25], 3721-3