Abstract
The role of chemical potentials in surface reconstructions is examined and shown to be crucial for binary semiconductor srufaces such as GaAs(111)2×2. We predict that under As-rich conditions a new model, the As triangle, is the lowest-energy geometry, whereas the Ga-vacancy model is appropriate for Ga-rich conditions. A change in the relative chemical potential of Ga and As should produce a phase transition between the two structures.
- Received 18 February 1986
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.2819
©1986 American Physical Society