X-Ray Diffraction Study of the Phase Transition of the ${\rm Si}(111)(\sqrt{3} \times \sqrt{3})\mbox{-Ag}$ Surface

Abstract

The structure of the [Formula: see text] surface was studied at both room temperature and a low temperature of 50 K using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. At low temperatures diffuse scattering was observed in addition to Bragg reflection. Least squares analyses for Bragg reflections using anisotropic Debye–Waller factors show that the structure at 50 K is consistent with an inequivalent triangle (IET) model, while the structure at room temperature is explained by a honeycomb-chained triangle (HCT) model with strong anisotropic Debye–Waller factors. From the temperature dependence of diffuse scattering, the phase transition temperature Tc and critical exponent β were determined to be about 150 K and 0.27. Some Bragg intensities showed discontinuous changes in their first derivatives at Tc. The results favor a displacive phase transition rather than an order–disorder one.