The Oxidation of H-Covered Flat and Vicinal Si(111)-1x1 Surfaces

Infrared absorption spectroscopy is used to characterize the initial stages of oxidation of H-passivated Si(111) surfaces by inferring the coverage and local chemical environment of Si-H species through monitoring of their stretching modes. We found that the activation energy for the oxidation process is ~140 kJ/mol for the flat (111) surface and varies as one moves to vicinal surfaces.