Atomic structures of hydrogen-terminated Si(001) surfaces after wet cleaning by scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopy observations are performed on a H-terminated Si(001) surface treated with HF solutions and ultrapure water with very low dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon contents. Over a large area, row structures are observed in [110] and [11̄0] directions. Pyramidal-shaped etch pits are also observed, which are caused by anisotropic etching by OH ions. Detailed images clearly show 2×1 periodic structures. It is suggested that every other row of the ideally dihydride 1×1 surface is etched preferentially by OH ions. This explains the mechanism by which the smallest etch pits are formed.

Atomic-level study of the robustness of the Si(100)-2×1:H surface following exposure to ambient conditions

“…In terms of surface flatness and cleanliness, this result notably exceeds previous STM results gathered on wet chemically H-passivated Si͑100͒. [16][17][18][19] The scattered contamination of Fig. 2͑b͒ is reminiscent of STM images performed on wet chemically passivated Si͑111͒.…”

Thin crystalline 3C-SiC layer growth through carbonization of differently oriented Si substrates

“…The ͑111͒ oriented Si surface shows the highest atomic packing density, which is less for the ͑100͒ Si surface and is even less dense for the ͑110͒ Si surface. [25][26][27][28] Since the etch and the deposition rates depend on this density, one would expect a faster process in the ͗110͘ direction than in the other directions. This assumption is confirmed by Fig.…”

Progress of electrode/electrolyte interfacial investigation of Li-ion batteries via in situ scanning probe microscopy

“…The emergence of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques has brought new potential in the study of the interface. Representing a big family of probe-based microscopy, such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), SPM has demonstrated its ability of morphological detection at high spatial resolution of nanometer level [15,16]. Besides, SPM is easy to be implemented under various environments such as liquid and electrochemical environment, which is a great advantage for SPM compared with electron microscopies.…”