Observation of true c(8x2) symmetry in scanning tunnelling microscopy images of the clean InSb(001) surface

• Filled and empty state scanning tunnelling microscopy images of the sputtered and annealed InSb(001) surface are presented. The sputter-anneal preparation generates a surface with two distinct phases. The dominant phase possesses a unit cell with true c(8 x 2) symmetry, whereas the other phase is attributed to an asymmetric 1 x 3 reconstruction. The presence of a c(8 x 2) unit cell in filled state images is in contrast to previous reports, which identified only a 4 x 1 unit cell. The true c(8 x 2) symmetry further indicates, if the available structural model is used as a guide, that the current interpretation of features in filled state images is incorrect. This result may necessitate a reevaluation of the structural model for the InSb(001)-c(8 x 2) surface.

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