Two-dimensional phase transition mediated by defects

A. V. Melechko, J. Braun, H. H. Weitering, and E. W. Plummer

Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996

Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

(Received 22 February 1999)

We have investigated the ( sqrt(3) × sqrt(3) ) to (3×3) phase transition in the alpha phase of Sn/Ge(111) with variable temperature STM at temperaturesbetween 30 and 300 K. Point defects in the Sn filmstabilize localized regions of the (3×3) phase, where the sizeis characterized by a temperature dependent length (exponential attenuation). The inverse of the attenuation length is a linear function oftemperature showing that the phase transition occurs at 70 K. Atlow temperature a density wave mediated defect-defect interaction realigns thedefects to be in registry with the (3×3) domains.

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v83/p999

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Two-dimensional phase transition mediated by extrinsic defects