First-principles study on field evaporation for silicon atom on Si(001) surface

Abstract

The simulations of field-evaporation processes for silicon atoms on various Si(001) surfaces are implemented using the first-principles calculations based on the real-space finite-difference method. We find that the atoms which locate on atomically flat Si(001) surfaces and at step edges are easily removed by applying external electric field, and the threshold value of the external electric field for evaporation of atoms on atomically flat Si(001) surfaces, which is predicted between 3.0 and 3.5 V/Å, is in agreement with the experimental data of 3.8 V/Å. In this situation, the local field around an evaporating atom does not play a crucial role. This result is instead interpreted in terms of the bond strength between an evaporating atom and surface.