1ST OBSERVATION OF STRAINED SILOXANE BONDS ON SILICON-OXIDE THIN-FILMS

We provide the first experimental evidence that edge-shared tetrahedra ( > Si < o/o > Si < ) can exist on the surface of silicon oxide thin films. These sites are characterized by infrared active Si-O-Si bending modes at 888 and 908 cm-1 and by their high reactivity toward both water and triethylsilanol. They are formed by annealing at high temperature (greater-than-or-equal-to 1400 K) and not by the recombination of surface silanol groups. Our observations confirm recent theoretical predictions.