Physics Commons^™

Stm Studies Of Oxygen Etching Of Silicon Surfaces, Mary L. Willis

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the oxygen etching behavior of the following silicon surface orientations: (001), (111), (113), (5 5 12) and (112). Most etching was performed at sample temperatures between 650 °C and 800 °C, at pressures of 3.3×10-7 and 1.5×10-7 Torr, and at an exposure of 200 L. Surface orientation strongly influences the morphology resulting from extended etching. The surface orientations that are stable against etching and remain flat include Si(001), Si(111), and Si(113). Such surfaces also include island structures, which result from etching around oxide-induced pinning sites. The density of these islands increases …