Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Cleaved Si and GaAs Surfaces in Air

Abstract
Microstructures on cleaved Si and GaAs surfaces were directly observed in air by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Although an atom-resolved image of surface structures was not obtained, microstructures 15–40 nm in size and 1–30 nm in height were imaged. The comparison between STM and SEM images indicated that STM images reflect the microstructures on cleaved Si and GaAs surfaces. These results revealed that STM measurements are applicable to the characterization of semiconductor surface structures even in air.