Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Clean Silicon Surfaces at Elevated Temperatures

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Abstract
In this paper, we shall review scanning tunneling microscopy on clean Si(111) and Si(001) surfaces at elevated temperatures of as high as 950?C. Various problems occurring at elevated temperatures, such as the thermal drift, the low Curie temperature of the tip-scanning elements and outgassing, are overcome by paying special caution to the design of the STM unit, the sample dimensions, and the operational methods. Several interesting phenomena appearing at elevated temperatures are presented: the appearance of the dimer rows and step edges on the Si(001) surface at temperatures up to 920?C, the dynamic behavior of the (7?7)-(1?1) phase transition on the Si(111) surface at temperatures around 860?C, the step shifting appearing on the Si(111) surface under dc electric fields (electromigration effect) around the phase transition temperature (869?C), and the surface modification of pyramids and craters created on both Si(111) and Si(001) surfaces at elevated temperatures.

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