In-Situ Study of the Oxidation of Silicon by Transmission Electron Microscopy

In a specially-modified ultra-high vacuum transmission electron microscope we have directly observed the oxidation of (111) and (100) clean, reconstructed Si surfaces in-situ. Diffraction experiments show that in-situ heat-treated surfaces remain very flat after native oxide formation, and the surface roughness can be monitored by diffraction and imaging even after the formation of relatively thick oxide layers.