The atomic structure of the clean (110)-(16 x 2) surface was studied by using scanning tunnelling microscopy. High-resolution images revealed that the elemental structure in the 16 x 2 reconstruction was a pair of pentagons. In empty-states images, the elemental structure was clearly resolved as 10 protrusions. It was resolved as 8 protrusions in filled-states images. In order to clarify the atomic arrangement of the pentagons, attention was paid to the disordered area where the elemental structures were isolated on the bulk-terminated surface. The latter surface structure, on which the pentagons were located, was well-described by the rotational-relaxation structural model. In order to treat the registry of the pentagon within the rotational-relaxation structure, a so-called tetramers-interstitial model was proposed for the elemental structure; together with 3 other possible structural models.

Elemental Structure in Si(110)-"16 x 2" Revealed by Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy T.An, M.Yoshimura, I.Ono, K.Ueda: Physical Review B, 2000, 61[4], 3006-11