Chemisorption Competition between H2O and H2 for Sites on the Si Surface under Xe+ Ion Bombardment: An XPS Study

This paper reports the competition of H2O (residual) and H-2 by site (defects) on the Si surface, created by Xe+ ion bombardment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in an ultrahigh vacuum system attached to the sample preparation chamber provided the data for the analyses. As hydrogen cannot be detected by XPS, an indirect method to evaluate the O and H cover ratio was developed. The hydrogen passivation effect obtained by the formation of the Si-H bond due to H-2 chemisorption limits Si-OH and Si-O-Si bonds, which are products of H2O dissociation. In addition, the results have shown that Xe+ ion bombardment diminished the H-2 chemisorption energy barrier onto Si.

Automated summary

This paper reports on the competition between H2O (residual) and H-2 by site (defects) on the Si surface, created by Xe+ ion bombardment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the data, as hydrogen cannot be detected by XPS. The study found that the hydrogen passivation effect limits the formation of Si-OH and Si-O-Si bonds, and Xe+ ion bombardment diminishes the H-2 chemisorption energy barrier onto Si.