Study of Surface Cleaning Conditions by the Ar-GCIB for XPS Analysis

Abstract

It is widely recognized that, in comparison with conventional Ar⁺ sputter etching, Argon gas cluster ion beam (Ar-GCIB) sputtering provides mild etching of a sample surface because of its low energy per atom and lateral sputtering effect. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Ar-GCIB has become established as an in-depth analysis technique for organic materials. Considering such advantages, Ar-GCIB irradiation conditions were investigated for removal of organic contaminations on inorganic material surfaces. The bonding state of the native oxide on the Si-substrate surface was employed as an indicator of surface damage. It was found that the incident angle of Ar-GCIB irradiation strongly affects the roughness and damage to the surface. It was also found that the surface contamination layer can be removed without affecting the native oxide film on the Si-substrate when the incident angle is 85° for Ar₁₀₀₀⁺ and 80° for Ar₂₀₀₀⁺, respectively.