LOW-TEMPERATURE STUDIES OF SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES

The review of the published results on low-temperature behaviour (T = 1.4-100K) of semiconductor surfaces is presented. Special attention is paid to the surface atomic structures, formation of the surface conducting channels, band bendings, and Schottky barriers. The effects of low temperatures on the properties of clean and metal-adsorbed surfaces are summarized and discussed. Some new approaches to the interpretation of the observed low-T phenomenon are presented. A comparison with the room temperature data in some cases is also performed. It is shown that the low-T experiments disclose new features of clean and metal-adsorbed surfaces and thus make strong contribution to the development of the physics of semiconductor surfaces.