CORRELATION OF SURFACE-MORPHOLOGY AND CHEMICAL-STATE OF SI SURFACES TO ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES

We have studied the structure of silicon surfaces and interfaces from an atomic to a macroscopic scale by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and angle-resolved light scattering (ARLS). Subsurface damage was determined on silicon wafers using modulated optical reflectance (MOR) measurements. The chemical state of silicon wafers prepared by different cleaning procedures was characterized by X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) measurements. It is shown that chemo-mechanical polishing and subsequent epitaxy produce very smooth surfaces. The existence of atomic steps is proved by electron and photon diffraction.