Abstract
The surface structure of bismuth films is investigated using atomic-force microscopy. The films are prepared through vacuum thermal evaporation on mica substrates, followed by annealing. It is established that the films have a block structure with the preferred orientation of the C 3 axis perpendicular to the substrate plane. The C 2 axes of the neighboring blocks predominantly have mutually opposite orientations. Upon annealing, the sizes of blocks with the C 3 axis perpendicular to the substrate plane increase at the expense of a virtually complete disappearance of blocks with random orientations of the C 3 axis and the coalescence of blocks with the same orientation. The size and configuration of the blocks are most clearly revealed upon preliminary treatment of the films in a diluted solution of the etchant. The results obtained are of interest for the interpretation of the data on the transport phenomena occurring in bismuth films.
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Original Russian Text © V.M. Grabov, E.V. Demidov, V.A. Komarov, 2008, published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2008, Vol. 50, No. 7, pp. 1312–1316.