Abstract
The residue of the two-dimensional (2D) oxide-island growth was directly investigated by observing the morphology change of the SiO2/Si(111) interface with atomic force microscopy, after removing SiO2. It was found that oxidation progressed by the bilayers in the (111) orientation instead of by the monolayers. Oxidation created the oxide-islands in an atomic layer, while the Si-islands were found to exist in the previous atomic layer. This result indicates that thermal oxidation progresses not by a strict layer-by-layer process. Furthermore, the deviation from the layer-by-layer process was increased as the oxidation temperature was decreased. This morphology degradation at low-oxidation temperatures (< 1050 °C) is due to the constraint of the 2D expansion rate of the oxide-island.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7892-7898 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Thin Solid Films |
Volume | 515 |
Issue number | 20-21 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 Jul 31 |
Keywords
- Atomic force microscopy
- Interface
- Oxidation
- Silicon
- Step/Terrace
- Surface roughness
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Metals and Alloys
- Materials Chemistry