| AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Surface Science | Friday Sessions |
| Session SS+EM-FrM |
| Session: | Semiconductor Surfaces and Interfaces 2 |
| Presenter: | Meixi Chen, University of Delaware |
| Authors: | R.L. Opila, University of Delaware M. Chen, University of Delaware N.A. Kotulak, University of Delaware N.J. Schreiber, University of Delaware |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Quinhydrone dissolved in methanol has long been know to react with hydrogen terminated silicon surfaces to passivate electronic defects where photo-excited carriers recombine non-radiatively. The mechanism of this passivation is not well understood. We have shown that benzoquinone, C6O2H4 rather than hydroquinone, C6O2H6, both components of the quinhydrone mixture, is the active component. Benzoquinone reacts to abstract a hydrogen and then itself bonds with the surface. We have shown that the hydrogen can be abstracted from the solvent and that incident light is necessary for this reaction to take place. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy were used to show that the benzoquinone reacted with the surface. Photo-excited carrier lifetime is a good measure of the extent of the passivation of the surface. Density functional theory supports the proposed reaction mechanism.