A scanning tunneling microscopy study reveals the removal of P and In atoms at intrinsic surface sites of InP (110)-(1x1) through an electronic mechanism under ns-laser excitation. Femtosecond nonresonant ionization spectroscopy detects desorption of P and In atoms associated directly with the bond rupture, and shows their translational energies characteristic of electronic bong breaking. The rate of P-atom removal is 4 times higher than that of In-atom removal, revealing a prominent species-dependent effect of structural instability under electronic excitation on semiconductor surfaces.

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