Intertwined electronic and structural phase transitions in the In/Si(111) interface

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Jul 22;95(4):046102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.046102. Epub 2005 Jul 22.

Abstract

The structural (4 x 1) to (8 x 2) transition and the electronic metal to semimetal transition at the In/Si interface are studied with scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Both transitions are gradual, resulting in a complex domain structure in the transition temperature regime. At these intermediate temperatures, the metallic (4 x 1) and semimetallic (8 x 2) domains coexist with each other and with new nanophases. By probing the two intertwined but distinguishable transitions at the atomic level, the interaction between different phases is visualized directly.