Step structures of InAs (001) vicinal surfaces tilted by 1° towards the [110] direction were investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy. A transition from an As-stabilized (2 x 4) to an In-stabilized (4 x 2) reconstruction caused a change in the step structure of the vicinal surfaces from ragged to straight along the [110] direction with the incorporation of step bunching. The straight shape of the step structure seems to be caused by desorption of arsenic atoms along the [110] direction.

Straight Step Edge Formation on an InAs(001) Vicinal Surface by the Transition of Surface Reconstruction. S.Ohkouchi, N.Ikoma: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 1994, 33, L1700-2