MEED STUDIES OF THIN METAL-FILM COVERED SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES

Results of observations of thin metal films deposited on clean surfaces of semiconductors, such as Si, GaAs and GaP, in the early stage of deposition in UHV, are reported with particular emphasis on in-situ MEED observations at 1-5 kV using a grazing angle of incidence. Various atomic rearrangements and reconstructions due to thin metal deposits were observed, for example: 2 x 1 and 4 x 5 reconstruction of Ni on a clean Si(110)16 x 2 surface, and formation of a one-dimensional lattice of Ag on a coplanar plane of GaAs (001) and GaP (001) and (011). These results are also discussed in terms of surface structures with special emphasis on the early stages of metal deposition and on the metal/semiconductor interface.