Strain effect on surface melting of Si(1 1 1)

We study the strain effect on the surface melting of Si(1 1 1) ¯at surfaces using Monte Carlo simulation and the empirical Tersoff±Dodson potential. The in-plane strain effect on the atomic structures and the atomic dynamics were investigated at a ®xed temperature of 0.82Tm. Surface melting of Si(1 1 1) was induced by either compressive or tensile strain. As the strength of strain increases beyond the critical strength of about 1.5 and 2.5%, respectively, for compressive and tensile strain, the waiting time for surface melting decreases. In the lateral pair correlation function of the melting layers, only the nearestneighbor correlation remains. Si atoms in the melting layers has a constant diffusion coef®cient irrespective of the sign and strength of applied strain. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved