Nature of the step-height transition on vicinal Si(001) surfaces

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Abstract
The Si(001)2×1 surface is expected to undergo a phase transition from single to double-atonic-height steps with increasing angle of miscut. Here we show that this transition is quite different than previously believed, involving something like a ‘‘devil’s staircase’’ of transitions in a mixed phase consisting of a complex sequence of single and double steps. Even at low angles, where only single steps occur, the areas of 2×1 and 1×2 regions are unequal, in agreement with recent experimental results.