Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunnelling microscopy were used to study the reconstruction of the GaAs (311)A surface. During and after molecular-beam epitaxy, in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction of the surface showed a lateral periodicity of 3.2nm perpendicular to the [¯233] direction. This periodicity was confirmed employing in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy. The height of this periodic surface structure was two monolayers, i.e., 0.34nm. It was shown how this reconstruction, characterized by a dimerization of the surface As atoms, could be formed by using a simple electron counting model. The excellent agreement with the experimental results further support this model, that was already found to explain the reconstructions of the (100) and (111) surfaces.

Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy of the GaAs (311)A Surface Reconstruction. M.Wassermeier, L.Däweritz, K.Ploog, J.Sudijono, M.D.Johnson, K.T.Leung, B.G.Orr: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1995, 150[1-4], 425-30