It was noted that the structure of c(4 x 8) silicide film had not been determined, in spite of numerous scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments and the use of low-energy electron diffraction methods. In order to provide some insights into the c(4 x 8) film, the c(4 x 8) surface was observed here at high spatial resolution by using frequency modulation atomic force microscopy. The extraction of surface adatoms by scanning the atomic force microscopy tip close to the surface permitted the observation of the structure of the first-layer atoms. The results showed that the position of the imaged first-layer atoms conflicted with the predictions of a previously proposed model.

Direct Observation of the Vacancy Site of the Iron Silicide c(4 x 8) Phase using Frequency Modulation Atomic Force Microscopy. Y.Sugimoto, M.Abe, S.Konoshita, S.Morita: Nanotechnology, 2007, 18[8], 084012 (4pp)