Kinetics of Initial Layer-by-Layer Oxidation of Si(001) Surfaces

Heiji Watanabe; Koichi Kato; Tsuyoshi Uda; Ken Fujita; Masakazu Ichikawa; Takaaki Kawamura; Kiyoyuki Terakura

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.80.345

Kinetics of Initial Layer-by-Layer Oxidation of Si(001) Surfaces

Heiji Watanabe, Koichi Kato, Tsuyoshi Uda, Ken Fujita, Masakazu Ichikawa, Takaaki Kawamura, and Kiyoyuki Terakura

Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 345 – Published 12 January 1998

Abstract

Layer-by-layer oxidation of Si(001) surfaces has been studied by scanning reflection electron microscopy (SREM). The oxidation kinetics of the top and second layers were independently investigated from the change in oxygen Auger peak intensity calibrated from the SREM observation. A barrierless oxidation of the first subsurface layer, as well as oxygen chemisorption onto the top layer, occurs at room temperature. The energy barrier of the second-layer oxidation was found to be 0.3 eV. The initial oxidation kinetics are discussed based on first-principles calculations.

Received 23 June 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.80.345

Authors & Affiliations

Heiji Watanabe, Koichi Kato, Tsuyoshi Uda, Ken Fujita, and Masakazu Ichikawa

Joint Research Center for Atom Technology, Angstrom Technology Partnership (JRCAT-ATP), 1-1-4 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan

Takaaki Kawamura

Department of Physics, Yamanashi University, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400, Japan

Kiyoyuki Terakura

Joint Research Center for Atom Technology, National Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (JRCAT-NAIR), 1-1-4 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan