Competitive segregation of Si and P on Fe96.5Si3.5 (100) and (110)

Annealing an Fe_96.5Si_3.5 (100)/(110) bicrystal, containing 90 ppm P, leads immediately to a strong segregation of silicon. The Si atoms, however, desegregate subsequently and are displaced by P, whose segregation enthalpy is larger than that of silicon. The corresponding surface structures formed on both faces have been studied using complementary methods: Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to obtain atomically resolved geometrical information and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for the determination of the surface composition. Si substitutes surface Fe atoms on both faces and forms ordered surface alloys, whereas P occupies hollow sites on the surface. Si and P form c(2 × 2) superstructures on the (100) surface, whereby each segregated phosphorus atom blocks in the average one silicon segregation site. The (110) surface, on the other hand, is characterized by a c(1 × 3) Si superstructure. Due to the anisotropy of this surface the P/Si exchange proceeds by the formation of silicon coverage decreasing domain boundaries within the silicon structure, which are simultaneously occupied by P atoms. Furthermore the comparison of the AES and STM derived phosphorus coverages indicates a P multilayer segregation on the (110) surface.     

Purely site-specific chemisorption and conformation of trimethylamine on Si(100)c(4 x 2)

One of the fundamental points of interest on the Si(100) surface is how the spatial localization of electron density on the buckled silicon dimer controls the site-specific reaction toward different Lewis acid and Lewis base molecules. We have investigated the adsorption of trimethylamine (TMA) on Si(100)c(4x2) using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at 80 K. The adsorbed TMA appears as a triangle-shaped bright protrusion in the occupied-state STM image. The triangle-shaped protrusion is ascribed to three methyl groups in the adsorbed TMA. The center of the protrusion is located on the down atom site, which indicates that the adsorption of TMA occurs only on the down dimer atom. Thus, TMA adsorption on Si(100)c(4x2) is found to be purely site-specific on the down dimer atom and can be categorized in Lewis acid-base reaction.     

Low-temperature STM images of methyl-terminated Si(111) surfaces

Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to image CH(3)-terminated Si(111) surfaces that were prepared through a chlorination/alkylation procedure. The STM data revealed a well-ordered structure commensurate with the atop sites of an unreconstructed 1 x 1 overlayer on the silicon (111) surface. Images collected at 4.7 K revealed bright spots, separated by 0.18 +/- 0.01 nm, which are assigned to adjacent H atoms on the same methyl group. The C-H bonds in each methyl group were observed to be rotated by 7 +/- 3 degrees away from the center of an adjacent methyl group and toward an underlying Si atom. Hence, the predominant interaction that determines the surface structure arises from repulsions between hydrogen atoms on neighboring methyl groups, and secondary interactions unique to the surface are also evident.     

ATR-FTIR Study of Si(110) Surface Hydrogenated in NH4F-Based Mixtures

RCA (Radio Corporation of America) cleaning has been the important and critical step in semiconductor manufacturing for more than 30 years^[1]. As the electronics devices are shrinking and gate oxide is getting thinner, stringent requirements on metallic impurities,organic contamination and surface roughness on silicon wafer after wet chemical cleaning have attracted more attention in the mechanism of wet etching processes on Si(111) and Si(100) surfaces^[2=11]. In the past few years wet chemical and electrochemical etching of Si(110) in NH₄F solutions has been studied by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)^[12] and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)^[13-14]. In the present work, we extend our study to Si(110) surface in NH₄F/HCl mixtures by using polarized attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR). We have compared the ex-situ ATR-FTIR results on Si(110) in various NH₄F/HCl solutions using Ge prism. Effects of potential on hydrogen-terminated structures on Si(110) surfaces have been investigated by employing in-situ electrochemical ATR-FTIR with double side polished single crystal silicon as a prism. Our ATR-FTIR spectra are correlated with the results obtained with in-situ STM.     

Ultra-clean Si(111) and Si(001) Surfaces Prepared by Advanced Wet Chemical Cleaning

Wet chemical cleaning of silicon is a critical step, e.g., pre-gate clean, in the semiconductor manufacturing^[1]. For example, pre-gate oxide cleaning demands ultra-clean silicon surface with least surface roughness. It is well known that metallic infinities and roughness cause the lower breakdown voltage in gate dielectric^[2]. It has stringent requirements for ultra-clean and atomically flat silicon surface as the thickness of gate oxide is decreasing. In the present work, we have extended our study on Si(100) surface13] and extensively investigated wet chemical cleaning of Si(111) and Si(100) surfaces in NH₄F-based solutions by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF). Surface roughness, organic contamination, metallic impurities and surface termination on the silicon surfaces after wet chemical cleaning with various NH₄F-based solutions have been determined and compared with those treated with RCA cleans, HF solutions and other industrially used solutions. Our results indicate that ultra-clean and smooth Si(111) and Si(001) surfaces are obtained by treatment with NH4F-based solutions.     

Controlled fabrication of 1D molecular lines across the dimer rows on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface through the radical chain reaction

Current interest in the fabrication of organic nanostructures on silicon surface is focused on the self-directed growth of 1D molecular lines with predefined position, structure, composition, and the length on the H-terminated Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface. To date, no studies have succeeded in growing the molecular line across the dimer rows on Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H, which is highly desirable. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we studied a new molecular system (allyl mercaptan, CH2=CH-CH2-SH) that undergoes chain reaction across the dimer row on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface at 300 K and produces covalently bonded 1D molecular lines. In combination with the previous findings of chain reaction along the rows, the present observations of self-directed growth of 1D molecular lines across the dimer rows on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface provide a means to connect any two points (through molecular lines) on a 2D surface.     

Single P and As dopants in the Si(001) surface

Using first-principles density functional theory, we discuss doping of the Si(001) surface by a single substitutional phosphorus or arsenic atom. We show that there are two competing atomic structures for isolated Si-P and Si-As heterodimers, and that the donor electron is delocalized over the surface. We also show that the Si atom dangling bond of one of these heterodimer structures can be progressively charged by additional electrons. It is predicted that surface charge accumulation as a result of tip-induced band bending leads to structural and electronic changes of the Si-P and Si-As heterodimers which could be observed experimentally. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements of the Si-P heterodimer on a n-type Si(001) surface reveal structural characteristics and a bias-voltage dependent appearance, consistent with these predictions. STM measurements for the As:Si(001) system are predicted to exhibit similar behavior to P:Si(001).     

Segregation and Stability in Surface Alloys: PdxRu1−x/Ru(0001) and PtxRu1−x/Ru(0001)

The stability of PdRu/Ru(0001) and PtRu/Ru(0001) surface alloys and the tendency for surface segregation of Pd and Pt subsurface guest metals in these surface alloys is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Atomic resolution STM imaging and AES measurements reveal that upon overgrowing the surface alloys with a 1–2 monolayer Ru film and subsequent annealing to the temperatures required for initial surface alloy formation, the Ru‐covered Pd (Pt) atoms float back to the outermost layer. The lateral distribution of these species is also essentially identical to that of the initial surface alloys, before overgrowth by Ru. In combination, this clearly demonstrates that the surface alloys represent stable surface configurations, metastable only towards entropically favored bulk dissolution, and that there is a distinct driving force for surface segregation of these species. Consequences of these data on the mechanism for surface alloy formation are discussed.     

Structural analysis of the reconstructed Si(001)-C surface

The atomic structure of reconstructed Si(001)c(4 x 4)-C surface has been studied by coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy. When the 100L of ethylene (C(2)H(4)) molecules have been exposed on Si(001)-(2 x 1) surface at 700 degrees C, it is found that C atoms cause the ordering of missing Si dimer defects and occupy the fourth layer of Si(001) directly below the bridge site. Our results provide the support for the previous model in which a missing dimer structure is accompanied by C incorporation into the subsurface.     

Visualization of atomic processes on ruthenium dioxide using scanning tunneling microscopy.

The visualization of surface reactions on the atomic scale provides direct insight into the microscopic reaction steps taking place in a catalytic reaction at a (model) catalyst's surface. Employing the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we investigated the CO oxidation reaction over the RuO2(110) and RuO2(100) surfaces. For both surfaces the protruding bridging O atoms are imaged in STM as bright features. The reaction mechanism is identical on both orientations of RuO2. CO molecules adsorb on the undercoordinated surface Ru atoms from where they recombine with undercoordinated O atoms to form CO2 at the oxide surface. In contrast to the RuO2(110) surface, the RuO2(100) surface stabilizes also a catalytically inactive c(2 x 2) surface phase onto which CO is not able to adsorb above 100 K. We argue that this inactive RuO2(100)-c(2 x 2) phase may play an important role in the deactivation of RuO2 catalysts in the electrochemical Cl2 evolution and other heterogeneous reactions.     

An experimental and theoretical study of surface segregation in a Fe-6at.%Si bicrystal

The analysis of segregation phenomena in bicrystals is an important step for the understanding of combined effects of the elementary diffusion processes involved in the segregation in polycristalline systems. The segregation of Si and P in a Fe-6at.%Si bicrystal with a (100) and (110) surface has been investigated by means of AES (Auger electron spectroscopy). For these experiments the technique of a linearly increased temperature has been applied. Significant differences between the segregation kinetics at the two surfaces of the sample have been found on the one hand for the maximum coverage of P and on the other hand for the high temperature behaviour of Si. Additionally, model calculations based on the KTBIM (kinetic tight binding Ising model) have been performed to qualitatively describe the experimental results. It is shown, that the striking differences between the segregation behaviour at the two differently oriented surfaces can be explained by different segregation energies of P, whereas Si plays a minor role due to its relatively small segregation energy.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

ATR-FTIR Investigation of Hydrogen-terminated Si(111) Surface in Various NH4F-Based Solutions

Wet chemical cleaning of silicon is a critical step in the semiconductor manufacturing. Particles, contaminants, metallic impurities, roughness and native oxide on silicon surface after wet chemical cleaning deteriorate the reliability of transistor performance in integrated circuits^[1]. Wet chemical etching of Si(111) and Si(100) in fluoride and alkaline solutions has been extensively studied in the past few years by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)^[2-11]. In the present work, we extend our study to Si(111) surface after treating with NH₄F/HCl mixtures. STM, X-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS), and ATR-FTIR are used to determine surface roughness, contamination and bond information on Si(111) surface after wet chemical cleaning with various NH₄F/HCl mixtures. The results are discussed in details by comparison to those treated with RCA and HF solutions, indicating that ultra-clean and flat Si(111) surface is obtained by treatment with NH₄F/HCl mixture.     

Interface diffusion and chemical reaction of PZT layer/Si (111) sample during the annealing treatment in air

The interface diffusion and chemical reaction between a PZT (PbZrxTi1-xO3) layer and a Si(111) substrate during the annealing treatment in air have been studied by using XPS (X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) and AES (Auger Electron Spectroscopy). The results indicate that the Ti element in the PZT precursor reacted with residual carbon and silicon, diffused from the Si substrate, to form TiCx, TiSix species in the PZT layer during the thermal treatment. A great interface diffusion and chemical reaction took place on the interface of PZT Si also. The silicon atoms diffused from silicon substrate onto the surface of PZT layer. The oxygen atoms, which came from air, diffused into silicon substrate also and reacted with Si atoms to form a SiO2 interlayer between the PZT layer and the Si (111) substrate. The thickness of SiO2 interlayer was proportional to the square root of treatment time. The formation of the SiO2 interlayer was governed by the diffusion of oxygen in the PZT layer at low annealing tempera     

Chemistry of 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione on Si(100)-2x1

The surface chemistry of 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione (hfacH), a hydrogenated form of the most common ligand in metal and metal oxide deposition, on Si(100)-2x1 has been investigated using multiple internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (MIR-FTIR), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), thermal desorption mass spectrometry, and computational analysis. The main goal of these studies was to understand if hfacH is a source of fluorine, carbon, and oxygen contamination for a variety of deposition processes where the hfac ligand is involved. In its molecular form, hfacH may potentially have up to 10 isomers including two ketonic and eight enolic forms. One of the enolic forms is shown to be the most stable upon adsorption on a clean Si(100)-2x1 surface at submonolayer coverages at cryogenic temperatures. Even though only the enolic form is present at cryogenic temperatures, at room temperature any of these isomers can exist and all the possibilities of their interaction with the Si(100)-2x1 surface, including several [2 + 2] and [2 + 4] addition pathways as well as O-H dissociation, should be considered. Despite such an array of possibilities, the room-temperature adsorption is governed by the thermodynamic stability of the final addition products between the hfacH and silicon surface. These adducts are stable at room temperature and decompose upon surface annealing.     

Competing forward and reversed chain reactions in one-dimensional molecular line growth on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface

To explore the role of competing forward and reversed chain reactions in the growth of a one-dimensional (1D) molecular line on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface, controlled experiments were performed with various alkene molecules by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at various temperatures. It was observed that the end dangling bond (DB) of a styrene line, fabricated by a chain reaction on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface at 300 K, initiated a reverse chain reaction at 400 K, leading to the complete disappearance of the styrene line with zero-order desorption kinetics (rate constant k = 1.17 x 10-2 s-1 at 400 K). In the case of 2,4-dimethylstyrene, the reversed chain reaction was observed even at 300 K. These results suggest that the appearance of a molecular line in an STM image is determined by the rates of competing forward and reversed chain reactions at a given temperature. As predicted, 1D lines formed by the DB-initiated chain reaction of 1-hexene and 1-heptene on Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H were observed at 180 K because of the reduced desorption rate, despite the fact that those molecules showed no line growth at 300 K. These results indicate that the scope of forming 1D molecular lines on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface with various alkenes is much wider than anticipated in previous studies.     

Silicon surfaces as electron acceptors: dative bonding of amines with Si(001) and Si(111) surfaces.

The bonding of the trimethylamine (TMA) and dimethylamine (DMA) with crystalline silicon surfaces has been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and density-functional computational methods. XPS spectra show that TMA forms stable dative-bonded adducts on both Si(001) and Si(111) surfaces that are characterized by very high N(1s) binding energies of 402.2 eV on Si(001) and 402.4 eV on Si(111). The highly ionic nature of these adducts is further evidenced by comparison with other charge-transfer complexes and through computational chemistry studies. The ability to form these highly ionic charge-transfer complexes between TMA and silicon surfaces stems from the ability to delocalize the donated electron density between different types of chemically distinct atoms within the surface unit cells. Corresponding studies of DMA on Si(001) show only dissociative adsorption via cleavage of the N-H bond. These results show that the unique geometric structures present on silicon surfaces permit silicon atoms to act as excellent electron acceptors.     

UHV STM I(V) and XPS studies of aryl diazonium molecules assembled on Si(111)

Molecular layers formed from 4-trifluoromethylbenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate and 4-Methylbenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate have been assembled on H-passivated Si(111) and studied by UHV STM and XPS. STM imaging shows well-developed Si(111) step edges and terraces both on Si(111):H and Si(111) substrates covered with a molecular layer. STM I(V) data acquired at different tip-substrate separations reveals a factor of approximately 10 enhancement in current for positive bias voltage when current flows through the 4-trifluoromethyl molecule when compared to the 4-methyl variant. The observed current enhancement in I(V) can be understood by comparing the projected density of states of the two molecule-Si systems calculated using a density functional theory local density approximation after geometry optimization was performed via the conjugate gradient method. XPS data independently confirm that H-passivated Si(111) remains oxygen free for short exposures to ambient conditions and provide evidence that the molecules chemically react with the silicon surface.     

Selective attachment of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol on the copper mediated Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface through S-Cu linkage

The well-defined and patterned copper clusters formed on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface have been employed as a template for selective binding of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (HS-CH2-C6H4-CH2-SH, 1,4-BDMT), to form ordered molecular nanostructures. Scanning tunneling microscopic (STM) studies showed that each 1,4-BDMT molecule preferentially binds to two neighboring copper atoms within one copper cluster through the S-Cu interaction with its molecular plane parallel to the surface, whereas some 1,4-BDMT bond to individually adsorbed copper atoms, resulting in an upright configuration. Large-scale two-dimensional molecular nanostructures can be obtained using this patterned assembly technique. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility for controllable growth of ordered molecular nanostructures on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface.     

Production of highly homogeneous Si(100) surfaces by H2O etching: surface morphology and the role of strain

The etching of Si(100) surfaces in ultrapure water was studied with a combination of infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). While the FTIR results show that the initially rough H/Si(100) surface becomes highly homogeneous during etching, a phenomenon generally associated with surface smoothing, STM images reveal that the homogeneity is associated with the formation of well-defined etch hillocks. After many hours of etching, the resulting H-terminated surface is composed of stripes of atomically flat Si(100) terminated by etch hillocks bounded by {111}- and {110}-oriented microfacets. Polarization analysis of the Si-H stretching modes provides strong evidence for uniform dihydride-termination of the flat regions, with the narrow (approximately 25 A) width of these stripes allowing for relaxation of steric strain between neighboring dihydrides. The unusual hill-and-valley etch morphology is attributed to the effects of steric strain on the reactivity of sites on the etched surface.     

W(100) c(2×2)表面的STM图像

用基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论研究了W(100) c(2×2)再构表面的表面弛豫以及扫描隧道显微镜(STM)图像和衬底偏压的关系. 计算所得到的表面原子沿[-110]方向的畸变位移δ为0.027 nm, 畸变能⊿E为80.6 meV·atom-1, 表面原子的弛豫分别为-7.6%(⊿d12/d0)和+0.8%(⊿d23/d0), 功函数Φ为4.55 eV. STM图像模拟表明, 由于表面原子沿[-110]方向的位移, 会导致出现平行于[110]方向的亮暗带状条纹. STM图像中突起所对应的并不是表面或次表面的钨原子, 而是zig-zag型W 原子链中线位置; 而STM暗区对应于原子位置畸变形成的相邻zig-zag型W原子链中间区域. 当衬底负偏压时, STM针尖典型起伏高度大约在0.008-0.013 nm之间; 而当衬底正偏压时, 针尖起伏高度在0.019-0.024 nm之间变化.