It was noted that low-energy (<40eV) electrons could be used to release athermally the compressive stress in a Si(100) surface layer induced by Ar+ ions (<100eV). In particular, there was strong evidence that the stress relaxation depended only upon the number of irradiated electrons. This indicated that complete relaxation was not promoted by a thermal activation mechanism, but by a non-thermal mechanism. It was show here, using scanning tunnelling microscopy, that the underlying cause of the athermal surface stress relaxation was recrystallization of the surface atoms. Scanning tunnelling microscopic observations revealed characteristic features which supported the hypothesis. The electron-irradiated surface did not have the thermally generated 2 x 1 surface reconstruction, but instead a 1 x 1 reconstruction; which was slightly closer to the positions of a so-called bulk-terminated surface.

Electron-Stimulated Athermal Surface Recrystallization of Si(100). T.Narushima, M.Kitajima, K.Miki: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 2004, 16[13], L193-200