NH3-induced c(4 × 2) to (2 × 2) transition on the Ge(001) surface by a domino-like dimer flip

Abstract Under the conditions of thermodynamic adsorption-desorption equilibrium, the first strongly bound molecular adsorption state of ammonia on Ge(001) saturates at one molecule per Ge reconstruction dimer (1/2 ML). High-resolution electron diffraction studies show that this adsorption is accompanied by a structural transition from c(4 × 2) on the clean surface to a (2 × 2) structure which is already completed for a coverage of about 0.04 ML, far below saturation. We propose a model implying the formation of NH 3 islands locally covered with 1/2 ML and a (2 × 2) periodicity caused by a flip of the dimer tilt direction of every second dimer Beyond the edge of these islands, the dimer flip continues domino-like along the dimer rows over the clean parts of the surface. Elongated (2 × 2) domains about 280–330A long and 30–65A wide are formed, depending on coverage.