The structure of Si(553) surfaces, tilted at -12.27° toward the (001) plane from the (111) plane, was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. The images revealed that the Si(553) surface consisted of (111) and (331) facets. The (111) facet was composed of a single unit cell of 7x7 (or 5x5) structure, while the (331) facet was composed of a 1x1 structure. High-temperature observations at 600C revealed a noise-like glimmering pattern due to atomic migration around the (331) facet.

Atomic Structure of Si(553) Surface Revealed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. S.Hara, M.Yoshimura, K.Ueda: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2008, 47, 6102-4