| AVS 54th International Symposium | |
| Surface Science | Monday Sessions |
| Session SS2-MoM |
| Session: | Surface Structure, Growth, and Etching of Silicon and Germanium |
| Presenter: | I.T. Clark, Cornell University |
| Authors: | I.T. Clark, Cornell University B.S. Aldinger, Cornell University A. Gupta, Cornell University M.A. Hines, Cornell University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
An etchant that produces atomically flat or near-atomically flat Si(100) surfaces has long been sought by the microelectronics industry. While a number of aqueous bases are known to produce atomically flat Si(111) surfaces, a comparable etchant for the commercially important Si(100) surface has not been demonstrated. We will present the results of a combined chemical and morphological investigation into the etching of Si(100) surfaces by room- temperature deoxygenated water. Over the course of several hours of etching, the surface develops a surprisingly homogeneous 4-fold symmetric cross-hatch motif dominated by orthogonal "stripes" running along {110} directions. Simultaneous spectroscopic investigations demonstrate the development of a microfaceted H-terminated surface, consisting of Si{111}, Si{110} and Si{100} planes. A simple model for the development of highly homogeneous surfaces during H2O etching will be discussed