Scanning tunnelling microscopic observations were made of phase-shifted 7 x 7 domains on Si(111) linked by order compatible with a (7/√3 x 7/√3)R30° reconstruction. Such a structure was obtained by annealing an Sb film 30ML thick deposited at room temperature onto a pristine Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface. The voltage-dependent scanning tunnelling microscopic features of the reconstruction found at the 7 x 7 domain boundaries could be explained by a dislocation-based structural model that assumed the presence of Sb. The model could account for matching of the 7 x 7 domains and completely passivated the boundary regions.

Order at the Boundaries of Phase-Shifted 7 x 7 Domains on Si(111). M.T.Cuberes, J.L.Sacedón: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 1996, 8[45], 8743-51