Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
We investigate the effects of Nd:YAG and excimer laser irradiation on the Ge(100) surface under UHV conditions over a temperature range 140 < T(K) < 300 using the surface sensitive probe of He atom diffraction. We study the effects of irradiation on surface damage and order using the apparent (2×1) c(2×4) transition. We monitor surface contamination in situ. The temporal thermal response is modeled theoretically to aid in assessing the experimental results. The capability to maintain a Ge(100) surface at low temperatures free of contamination and well ordered is demonstrated.