ELSEVIER Surface Science 356 (1996) 75-91
surface science
The adsorption and bonding of chlorine at silicon (100)
investigated using ESD/ESDIAD with C1÷ and C1- ions
Q. Guo, D. Sterratt, E.M. Williams ,,1
IRC in Surface Science, The University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Received 26 July 1995; accepted for publication 13 December 1995
Abstract
The adsorption of chlorine on Si(100) 2 × 1 surface has been studied using electron stimulated desorption (ESD) and electron
stimulated desorption ion angular distribution (ESDIAD) in conjunction with AES and gas uptake techniques. ESDIAD and ESD
measurements were performed on negative as well as positive atomic chlorine species, and the responses with the different polarity
of charged species are not seen as complementary. Gas uptake at the surface proceeds initially with a high sticking probability with
the atomic chlorine resulting from dissociation not being limited to single dimer sites. ESDIAD studies with positive CI ÷ ions reveal
normal and off-normal beams associated with symmetric and asymmetric dimers, with relative contributions depending on surface
coverage and temperature. Transformations between bonding configurations seen in positive ion ESDIAD are linked with lateral
interactions in the adsorbate layer, and their influence is also evident in the forms of the ion yields of both polarity of species with
changing coverage. Negative chlorine ions exhibit a predominance of emission around the surface normal, and are produced via a
dipolar dissociation process. Missing atom defect sites with an associated high electron density are postulated as playing a central
role in their production. The desorption of positive chlorine ions follows mainly from a two-hole, one-electron (2hle) repulsive state
initiated by the ionisation of the C1 3s level.
Keywords: Angle resolved DIET; Chemisorption; Chlorine; Electron stimulated desorption (ESD); Low index single crystal surfaces;
Silicon; Solid-gas interfaces
1. Introduction
The study of the interaction between chlorine
and silicon surfaces is an important subject in
regard to the operation of dry etching processes in
VLSI technology [ 1] and is currently the focus of
much scientific interest. The application of surface
science techniques has undoubtedly enhanced the
understanding of many fundamental processes
* Corresponding author. Fax: +44 151 708 0662; e-mail:
emw@ssci.liv.ac.uk
1 Also at Department of Electrical Engineering and
Electronics, The University of Liverpool.
relating to the geometric and electronic structure
of the chlorine-silicon interface [2-14]. Compared
with ESDIAD (electron stimulated desorption ion
angular distribution) of F ÷ ions from Si(100),
where only off-normal emission associated with
tilted Si-F bonds is observed [ 11,15], the findings
of ESDIAD with C1÷ ions are more complicated
with both normal and off-normal emission having
been reported [11,12,14]. This is also reflected in
X-ray adsorption spectroscopy (XAS) 1-9] and
angle resolved photoemission results [3] where
normal as well as off-normal Si-C1 bond directions
have been proposed. As will be demonstrated in
the present paper, the conditions of chlorine cover-
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