Structure and Energetics of P-rich GaP(001) Surfaces

The microscopic structure of the GaP(001) surface is not well understood, in marked contrast to other III–V compounds, in particular GaAs(001) (see Ref. [1] for a recent review). It has been suggested that ion bombardment and annealing of GaP(001) results in a (4 2) reconstructed Ga-rich surface [2, 3] in analogy to GaAs. On the other hand, based on ion scattering spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) experiments, a (2 4) translational symmetry has been proposed [4, 5]. In solid-source molecular beam epitaxy a (2 4) diffraction pattern shows up under both Ga and P supply [6]. In addition, (4 4) spots have been observed. A slightly different behaviour is found for samples grown by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy or chemical beam epitaxy as well as for GaP(001) surfaces prepared by thermal desorption of a protective arsenic/phosphorous double layer cap under ultrahigh vacuum conditions [7–9]. After annealing to 690 K the de-capped GaP(001) surfaces show a (2 1)=(2 2)-like LEED pattern. Annealing to higher temperatures (785 K) leads to a (2 4) translational symmetry. The many-step annealing procedure is accompanied by a transition from a more P-rich to a more Ga-rich GaP(001) surface. Previous total-energy (TE) calculations [8, 9] show the stability of several (2 4) reconstructions. For Ga-rich surfaces they are characterized by single Ga–Ga or mixed Ga–P dimers on top of a complete Ga layer. For lower Ga contents one Ga pair is missing in this layer and one (d structure) or two P dimers (b2 structure) terminate the surface. (4 2) reconstructions with Ga or P dimers in the uppermost atomic layer are unstable. The comparison of measured and calculated reflectance anisotropy spectra support the mixed-dimer reconstruction of the Ga-rich GaP(001) surface [8, 9]. This has recently been confirmed by a comparison of calculated and measured scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM) images [10]. The (2 4) mixed-dimer structure agrees with recent measurements of the surface core-level shifts [5]. The structure of the (2 1)=(2 2) reconstruction of the GaP(001) surface remains unknown. Auger electron spectroscopy indicates a P-rich surface. The similarities with