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We propose a new atomistic-scale model (2.429-ML model) for experimentally-observed superstructures of the Si(111)-
Superstructures or superlattices are very important research topics, as they can exhibit physical properties that are quite different from those of their constituents.1,2) Occasionally, superstructures can be nested and higher-order superstructures can emerge.3) Crystal surfaces with deposited adatoms are typical systems in which such complex superstructures can appear depending on their coverage.
In this work, we focus on the Si(111)-
However, we note here that the 2.4-ML model is still open for discussion. This is because the STM images reported in many experiments5–7) are often accompanied by features that cannot be explained by the 2.4-ML model. In Fig. 1, we show a schematic illustration of a typical image in scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments.7) The parallelogram in the figure represents a
Figure 1. (Color online) Schematic illustrations of a typical image in STM experiments7) for the Si(111)-
In this paper, we revisit the Si(111)-
We have performed first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT)16,17) within the limit of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA).18) The electron–ion interactions were described by norm-conserving pseudo-potentials.19) We used the real-space scheme,20) in which wave functions, charge density and local potentials were calculated at grid points in the real space. The intergrid distance d was chosen to be 0.22 Å in optimizing the atomic structures, which corresponds to the cutoff energy of 52 Ry for a plain-wave basis set. For atomic structures optimized in that way,
Since the conventional 2.4-ML model reproduces the ARPES experiment12) for the Si(111)-
First, a supercell of the 2.4-ML model of the Si(111)-
Figure 2. (Color online) (a) The side and top views of the 2.4-ML model.9,10) The primitive unit cell shown by the parallelogram is
Experimentally, the period of the superstructure is reported13) to be
Figure 3. (Color online) The band structure of the 2.4-ML model (a) and the 2.429-ML model (b), calculated for the Brillouin zone (BZ) of the
Figure 4. (Color online) For the (a) 2.4-ML and (b) 2.429-ML models, we show the STM image calculated as the local density of states integrated over the energy range from the Fermi level
As the second step, in Fig. 2(b), we present a new superstructure model of the Si(111)-
Around the left and right edges of the cell, the local arrangement of the atoms in the 2.429-ML superstructure model [Fig. 2(b)] is similar to the 2.4-ML model represented by the
The close correlation between the bright In atoms and the hollow sites of the Si hexagons as discussed above infers that the arrangement of the bright spots can be essentially described by an interference of two simple waves:
Figure 5. (Color online) The interference model to explain the arrangement of the bright spots in the (a) 2.4-ML model and the (b) 2.429-ML model. We focus on the second row in the STM image [row2s in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b)]. We use cosine waves to model the distribution of the In atoms in the top layer,
The third step is to calculate the band structure for the 2.429-ML superstructure model. A naive calculation leads to a band structure for the small BZ corresponding to the
As has been discussed, the In atoms are shifted relative to the Si substrate in the center of the supercell, so that a trimer is generated at the center of the supercell in the STM image. However, Figs. 3(a) and 3(b) show that this shift of the In atoms has minimal impact on the band structure. The key to understanding the difference in the impact on the STM image and the band structure lies in the similarity of the atomic arrangements within the dotted lines in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b). As seen from the figures, the shift of the In atoms occurs at the center of the supercell, but almost the same structure reappears only a short distance from the center of the supercell as before the shift of the In atoms.25) Therefore, the contribution to the unfolded band structure from near the center of the supercell is almost independent of the shift of the In atoms. This is why the band structure of the modulated model (2.429-ML) is almost identical to that of the original model (2.4-ML), even though the STM images are very different.
In this way, we find that the 2.429-ML superstructure model successfully explains both the ARPES12) and STM5–7) experiments performed for the Si(111)-
Similar calculations were performed for several other superstructures which are also obtained by slightly modulating the 2.4-ML model represented by the
Figure 6. (Color online) The band structures of the 2.250-ML (a), 2.267-ML (b), 2.375-ML (c), 2.533-ML (d), and 2.571-ML (e) models, unfolded to the BZ of the
Figure 7. (Color online) The STM images calculated for the 2.250-ML (a), 2.267-ML (b), 2.375-ML (c), 2.533-ML (d), and 2.571-ML (e) models.
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Figure 6 also shows that the models with similar coverages have similar band structures (ARPES data): the results for the 2.250-ML and 2.267-ML models are very similar [Figs. 6(a) and 6(b)]; the results for the 2.533-ML and 2.571-ML models are similar, too [Figs. 6(d) and 6(e)]. This indicates that the close similarity in coverage between the 2.375-ML model (as well as the 2.429-ML model) and the 2.4-ML model is also essential to the result that their band structures are nearly identical to each other.
We finally discuss the energetics of the 2.429-ML and 2.375-ML superstructure models. We define the surface energy
Figure 8. (Color online) The surface energy of the systems per
The three models shown in Fig. 8 differ in the number of In atoms per unit area, the stretching of the In layer along the surface, and the arrangement of dimers and trimers. The relative stability of the models may reflect these differences. In particular, the relative stability of the 2.429-ML and 2.4-ML surfaces is reversed when the In chemical potential
In summary, we have proposed the 2.429-ML model as the identity for the superstructure of the Si(111)-
Acknowledgements
This work was partly supported by the Grants-in-Aid for scientific research under the contract number JP 24K08251 conducted by MEXT, Japan. The computation in this work has been done using the facilities of the Supercomputer Center, the Institute for Solid State Physics, the University of Tokyo. We used the VESTA tool28) to draw figures used in this manuscript. We thank Professor T. Uchihashi, Professor K. Sakamoto, and Professor T. Abukawa.
In the original band-unfolding formalism proposed by Popescu,22) the cell volume must be an integer multiple of the primitive unit cell. When we calculate the band structure of the
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