Influence of BHF Treatments on Hydrogen-Terminated Si(100) Surfaces

Abstract

The hydrogen bonding features of Si(100) surfaces treated with BHF (NH4F/HF/H2O) have been studied by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (FT-IR-ATR). The amount of residual silicon-fluorine bonds on Si(100) surfaces has been evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that Si-H3 bonds appears to be preferentially removed by OH ions so as to increase the surface SiH2 and SiH bonds. On the other hand, it is likely that fluorine-containing ionic species such as HF2 might attack the backbonds of surface hydrides to produce Si-H3 and Si-F bonds. ATR spectra have shown that a BHF treated Si(100) surface in 5∼10% NH4F with molar ratios of HF/NH4F=0.37∼0.56 (pH=3.7∼4.0) at a treatment time of 5 minutes is atomically flatter than that treated in BHF containing 15∼20% NH4F. This is because the amount of residual Si-F bonds on Si(100) increases with HF2 concentration in BHF and these Si-F bonds enhance attacking of silicon backbonds of Si-F bond by OH− and HF2− ions.