  Well-ordered stepped semiconductor surfaces attract intense attention owing
to the regular arrangements of their atomic steps that makes them perfect
templates for the growth of one- dimensional systems, e.g. nanowires. Here, we
report on the atomic structure of the vicinal Si(111) surface with 10 degree
miscut investigated by a joint frequency-modulation scanning force microscopy
(FM-SFM) and ab initio approach. This popular stepped surface contains 7 x
7-reconstructed terraces oriented along the Si(111) direction, separated by a
stepped region. Recently, the atomic structure of this triple step based on
scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images has been subject of debate. Unlike
STM, SFM atomic resolution capability arises from chemical bonding of the tip
apex with the surface atoms. Thus, for surfaces with a corrugated density of
states such as semiconductors, SFM provides complementary information to STM
and partially removes the dependency of the topography on the electronic
structure. Our FM-SFM images with unprecedented spatial resolution on steps
confirm the model based on a (7 7 10) orientation of the surface and reveal
structural details of this surface. Two different FM-SFM contrasts together
with density functional theory calculations explain the presence of defects,
buckling and filling asymmetries on the surface. Our results evidence the
important role of charge transfers between adatoms, restatoms, and dimers in
the stabilisation of the structure of the vicinal surface.
