In terms of the antiferromagnetic XY-model on a triangular lattice in two dimensions, the mechanisms of (111) surface reconstructions of homopolar semiconductors were reconsidered. The validity of the proposed model was examined by comparing it with several experimental results, with which satisfactory agreement was obtained. In particular, the present model led to the stability of the 5 x 5 and the 7 x 7 structures as well as a high probability of the nucleation of the N x N dimer adatom stacking-fault reconstruction from an upper step edge.

The Dynamical Mechanism of (111) Surface Reconstruction - Frustration and Vortex Structures. M.Itoh: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 1992, 4[44], 8447-60