Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Observations and Analysis of Thermal Etching of Si(100) with Br and Cl

Abstract

The surface morphologies that result from spontaneous etching of Si(100)-2×1 with Br and Cl have been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy. Layer-by-layer etching, which characterizes steady state removal, yields bounded surface roughness. The etch pits, step profiles, and Si regrowth structures produced in the range 700–900 K exhibit characteristic patterns that vary with temperature because they reflect atomic level interactions. The data obtained with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) make it possible to examine these interactions and to extract information about etching dynamics.