Phase transitions on Si(113): A high-temperature scanning-tunneling-microscopy study

Reconstructive phase transitions on Si(113) have been investigated near the critical temperatures using high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. During the phase transition between (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) and (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) reconstructions, (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) domains nucleate and fluctuate within the (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) domain, and their size increases as the temperature decreases. During the disordering of the (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) reconstruction, highly mobile domain walls are observed, which increase in density as the transition is approached from below. The structure and evolution of the domain walls is consistent with disordering of the (3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) reconstruction via incorporation of [-] (heavy) domain walls.