An AFM study of the processing passivated silicon(111) of a low miscut angle

We present atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements from a passivated silicon crystal miscut by 0.1 degrees and show the etching regime to be significantly different from surfaces with a larger miscut angle. A simple kinetic model is developed to explain the results and is used to derive the optimal etching conditions for nominally flat Si(1 1 1)(1 x 1)H. We show that small changes in miscut angle can alter the kinetic steady state and promote the formation of deep etch pits, even on the least stable, ((1) over bar(1) over bar2) miscut surface. Collisions of steps with these pits result in arrays of stable, self-aligned `etch hillocks' over micron dimensions. Following preparation, we use AFM to observe the initial growth of native oxide on the Si(1 1 1)-(1 x 1)H surface, and demonstrate that AFM is a sensitive probe to surface oxidation in the sub-monolayer regime. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.