Surface atomic structure of c(2x2)-Si on Cu(110)

The technological importance of Schottky barriers has led to many experiments of metal-on-semiconductor systems. Here we present an example of the inverse case by depositing a semiconductor on a metal, studying the very early stages of the metal-semiconductor interface formation. We show that 0.5 monolayers of Si on Cu(110) form an ordered c(2 X 2) overlayer and resolve its geometrical structure. Using full-hemispherical x-ray photoelectron diffraction, we find that Si atoms form an almost coplanar layer, replacing one out of two Cu surface atoms.