Open AccessSilicon Surface Smoothening Dynamics: Diffusion and Desorption
Author(s) -
Y.P. Kim,
Christophe Figuet,
Oleg Kochuk
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ecs journal of solid state science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.488
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 2162-8777
pISSN - 2162-8769
DOI - 10.1149/2162-8777/ab9fe7
Subject(s) - desorption , silicon , materials science , diffusion , surface diffusion , annealing (glass) , analytical chemistry (journal) , hydrogen , chemical physics , fick's laws of diffusion , hydrogen chloride , atomic diffusion , chemistry , thermodynamics , inorganic chemistry , adsorption , crystallography , composite material , physics , metallurgy , organic chemistry , chromatography
Silicon surface evolution during annealing was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in a mixture of hydrogen (H 2 ) and hydrogen chloride (HCl). The power spectrum density (PSD) calculated by experimental data was fitted to the analytical results of a continuum surface dynamics equation to determine the surface relaxation mechanism. The coexistence of two mechanisms was revealed, i.e., silicon surface diffusion and silicon desorption by chlorine adatoms, whose relative contribution depended on the HCl concentration. Thus, we proposed a unified model of silicon surface dynamics under pure H 2 and HCl atmosphere, which sufficiently clarified the PSD evolution and allowed the determination of the diffusion and desorption reaction constants. Specifically, the evolution of the desorption reaction constant with increasing HCl concentration suggested a complex desorption path.