Faradaic current detection during anodic oxidation of the H-passivated p-Si(001) surface with controlled relative humidity

Faradaic current during anodic oxidation is measured over a relative humidity range of 40-70% using an atomic force microscope with humidity control. The level of detected current during the fabrication of oxide dots on H-passivated Si(001) is in the picoampere (pA) level. Current flow began immediately (within a few milliseconds) after applying an oxidation voltage above a threshold value and decreased with time according to oxide growth. The total charge resulting from the current flow was calculated by integrating the current-time curve and was found to agree well with an estimation of expected current from the volume of the fabricated oxide dots. Actual monitoring of the oxidation process by the Faradaic current is demonstrated during the fabrication of a two-dimensional lattice.