Nature of the √3α to 3 × 3 reversible phase transition at low temperature in Sn/Ge (111)

Metal-induced superstructures on semiconductors at sub-monolayer coverages have been mostly studied at, or above, room temperature. Yet, recently, several reversible phase transitions, like, e.g. the √3×√3α to 3×3 transition in the Pb, Sn/Ge (1 1 1) prototypical systems, have been discovered below RT. The origin of these new reconstructions is very intriguing and is a matter of strong debate. Some groups privilege electronic instabilities leading to charge ordered states at low temperature (LT), while other favor dynamical effects and the formation a kind of bond density waves (BDW’s) at LT. Besides these intrinsic behaviors, the role played by inevitable defects has also been emphasized by several authors. Focussing especially on the Sn/Ge (1 1 1) system, we present a detailed analysis of the spectroscopic signatures of each phase in photoemission measurements. We show that static models are impossible to reconcile with these measurements.