Silicon processing techniques such as atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM) and epitaxial growth require surface preparations that activate oxide desorption (typically >1000 °C) and promote surface reconstruction toward atomically clean, flat, and ordered Si(100)-2 × 1. Here, in this study, we compare the aqueous and vapor phase cleaning of Si and Si/SiGe surfaces to prepare APAM-ready and epitaxy-ready surfaces at lower temperatures. Angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicate that vapor hydrogen fluoride (VHF) cleans dramatically reduce carbon surface contamination and allow the chemically prepared surface to reconstruct at lower temperatures, 600 °C for Si and 580 °C for a Si/Si0.7Ge0.3 heterostructure, into an ordered atomic terrace structure indicated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). After thermal treatment and vacuum hydrogen termination, we demonstrate STM hydrogen desorption lithography (HDL) on VHF-treated Si samples, creating reactive zones that enable area-selective chemistry by using a thermal budget similar to CMOS process flows. We anticipate that these results will establish new pathways to integrate APAM with Si foundry processing.
Peña, Luis Fabián, et al. "A Reduced-Temperature Process for Preparing Atomically Clean Si(100) and SiGe(100) Surfaces with Vapor HF." Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, vol. 129, no. 19, May. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c00280
Peña, Luis Fabián, Anderson, Evan M., Mudrick, John P., Rosenberg, Samantha G., Scrymgeour, David A., Bussmann, Ezra, & Misra, Shashank (2025). A Reduced-Temperature Process for Preparing Atomically Clean Si(100) and SiGe(100) Surfaces with Vapor HF. Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, 129(19). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c00280
Peña, Luis Fabián, Anderson, Evan M., Mudrick, John P., et al., "A Reduced-Temperature Process for Preparing Atomically Clean Si(100) and SiGe(100) Surfaces with Vapor HF," Journal of Physical Chemistry. C 129, no. 19 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c00280
@article{osti_2566655,
author = {Peña, Luis Fabián and Anderson, Evan M. and Mudrick, John P. and Rosenberg, Samantha G. and Scrymgeour, David A. and Bussmann, Ezra and Misra, Shashank},
title = {A Reduced-Temperature Process for Preparing Atomically Clean Si(100) and SiGe(100) Surfaces with Vapor HF},
annote = {Silicon processing techniques such as atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM) and epitaxial growth require surface preparations that activate oxide desorption (typically >1000 °C) and promote surface reconstruction toward atomically clean, flat, and ordered Si(100)-2 × 1. Here, in this study, we compare the aqueous and vapor phase cleaning of Si and Si/SiGe surfaces to prepare APAM-ready and epitaxy-ready surfaces at lower temperatures. Angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicate that vapor hydrogen fluoride (VHF) cleans dramatically reduce carbon surface contamination and allow the chemically prepared surface to reconstruct at lower temperatures, 600 °C for Si and 580 °C for a Si/Si0.7Ge0.3 heterostructure, into an ordered atomic terrace structure indicated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). After thermal treatment and vacuum hydrogen termination, we demonstrate STM hydrogen desorption lithography (HDL) on VHF-treated Si samples, creating reactive zones that enable area-selective chemistry by using a thermal budget similar to CMOS process flows. We anticipate that these results will establish new pathways to integrate APAM with Si foundry processing.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c00280},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2566655},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry. C},
issn = {ISSN 1932-7447},
number = {19},
volume = {129},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
year = {2025},
month = {05}}
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003525
OSTI ID:
2566655
Report Number(s):
SAND--2025-06008J
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 129; ISSN 1932-7447