Disordering at Ge(111) Surface Near the Bulk Melting Temperature

The Ge(111) surface undergoes a reversible disordering transition at 1050K, which is 160K below the Ge bulk melting temperature. Low energy electron diffraction (LEED) evidence has been interpreted to support a two-stage disordering mechanism: proliferation of strained double-layer islands with increasing crystal temperatures up to 960K; dissolution of islands at temperatures from 960K to 1050K.