STM/STS studies of the structural phase transition in the growth of ultra-thin Bi films on Si(111)

Growth of thin metal films on semiconductors has been always an important subject for extensive experimental and theoretical studies. As the applicability of well-ordered nanostructures in electronic applications depends strongly on their size and distribution, it is necessary to understand, the processes that govern the growth of such structures. In this paper we present the results of investigation of the room temperature growth of thin Bi film on Si(111). In our study we clarified that rotationally disordered, pseudo-cubic Bi{012} islands with uniform height of approximate to 13 Angstrom are formed in the initial stage of Bi film growth. With increase in the amount of bismuth on the surface, islands interconnect maintaining however their uniform height. This process is further accompanied by the unique and unexpected structural phase transition of the {012} film into a hexagonal Bi(001) film.