Imaging of native oxide on silicon wafers

Micrometer-Scale Imaging of Native Oxide on Silicon Wafers by Using Scanning Auger Electron Spectroscopy... 

Figure 5.11 AFM images of PS-i)-P4VP-[Re(DIAN)(C0)3]+C10j spin-coated on different substrate surfaces (film thickness = 40 nm) (a) silicon wafer modified with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (b) silicon wafer modified with A-trimethoxysilylpropyl-AyV,lV-trimethylammonium chloride (c) silicon wafer modified with 3-(p-methoxyphenyl)propyltrichlorosilane and (d) silicon wafer with native oxide layer removed. All the films were prepared from toluene solution. Scan size (a)- c) 1X1 pm (d) 500 X 500 nm. (From Cheng and Chan.71 Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2005 American Chemical Society.)...

The materials used in the pH-dependence experiments were pieces of oxidized silicon cut from a Si02-covered wafer (Faselec AG) and pieces of aluminum oxide from sapphire disks (Saphirwerke Briigg). For the imaging studies a regular pattern of surface-oxidized aluminum squares in the micrometer range was produced by means of electron-beam lithography on a Si wafer covered with a native oxide layer [14]. 

AFM method is available to observe a nanometer scale roughness on the surface of the silicon wafer with native oxide. As a matter of course, topographical images of AFM could not imply the thickness information of the over layer film, and AFM methods might be unavailable for the area over than 10 cm due to the instrumentation limits. 

Figure 5. SAM images of the native oxide film on the silicon wafer was observed by using, (a) LW spectrum of silicon oxide, (b) LW spectrum of silicon, (c) 0-KLL and (d) C-KLL respectively.

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