Controlling the Si(001) Surface Morphology upon Thermal Annealing in a Vacuum Chamber

Abstract

The effect of homoepitaxial Si(001) growth on the surface morphology during the annealing of a substrate by passing a direct current is examined by in situ high-vacuum reflection electron microscopy at a temperature of 1100°С and ex situ atomic force microscopy. The nonmonotonic dependence of the average distance between step bunch on the atomic flow to the surface under the growth conditions and the monotonic behavior under the sublimation conditions are established. The increase in the average distance between pairs of inclined steps between the bunches at an external atomic flow comparable with the flow of atoms evaporated from the surface during sublimation is found.