Oxidation of Si(111)-(7×7) as studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract
The initial stages of oxidation of the Si(111)-(7×7) surface were studied via scanning tunneling microscopy. Images of the same area of the surface were obtained for various exposures of oxygen. The results show that defect sites act as nucleation centers for the oxidation process. Straight atomic steps commonly found on this surface are relatively insensitive to oxygen exposure.