Vapor-Phase Adsorption Kinetics of 1-Decene on H-Terminated Si(100)

Abstract

We have investigated in situ and in real time vapor-phase self-assembly of 1-decene on Si, using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIRS). The adsorption of 1-decene on hydrogenated Si(100) results in a decane-terminated hydrophobic surface, indicated by the sessile-drop water contact angle at 107 ± 2°. This maximum contact angle is achieved at 160 °C under 30 mTorr of vapor-phase 1-decene. The fractional surface coverage of decane, calculated from the IR absorbance of C−H stretching vibrational modes near 2900 cm-1, follows a Langmuir isotherm. The absolute surface coverage calculated from the IR absorbance saturates at 3.2 × 1014 cm-2. On the basis of this isotherm, the empirical rate constant ( ) that governs the rate-limiting step in 1-decene adsorption on HF-treated Si(100) is (3.3 ± 0.7) × 10-2 min-1. The thickness and cant angle of the decane monolayer at the saturation coverage are calculated from angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS). The calculated thickness ranges from 8.4 to 18 Å due to the uncertainty in the attenuation lengths of C(1s) and Si(2p) photoelectrons through the decane layer. For the same uncertainty, the calculated cant angle ranges from 0 to 55°. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is independently used to approximate the film thickness at 16 Å. Monitoring the decane monolayer over a period of 50 days using AR-XPS indicates that the Si surface underneath the decane monolayer gets oxidized with time, leading to the degradation of the decane layer.