Epitaxial growth and surface structure of NiSi₂{0 0 1} on Si{0 0 1}

LEED (low-energy electron diffraction) intensity measurements were done to monitor the formation of epitaxial NiSi2 on the {0 0 1} surface of Si. The resulting silicide surface, although possibly reconstructed, was subjected to LEED intensity analysis as NiSi2{0 0 1}1×1. Several structural models involving bulk-like terminations, and variants thereof, failed the LEED test. However, one model, with Si adatoms in the four-fold symmetrical sites of the Si bulk-like termination, provides reasonable agreement with experiment and is therefore tentatively proposed as containing the main features of the real structure. The model may explain the failure of double epitaxy, i.e., the failure to grow epitaxial Si films on the silicide surface. © 1986.