Abstract
We have investigated the to phase transition in the α phase of Sn/Ge(111) with variable temperature STM at temperatures between 30 and 300 K. Point defects in the Sn film stabilize localized regions of the phase, where the size is characterized by a temperature dependent length (exponential attenuation). The inverse of the attenuation length is a linear function of temperature showing that the phase transition occurs at 70 K. At low temperature a density wave mediated defect-defect interaction realigns the defects to be in registry with the domains.
- Received 22 February 1999
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.999
©1999 American Physical Society