Abstract
An ultra high vacuum transmission electron microscope (UHV-TEM) has been successfully developed for in situ observation of the islands and silicides formation on silicon surface at high temperatures by reflection electron microscope (REM) and TEM. The cleaning process of the contaminated Si(100) surface by heating to 1150°C was successfully observed by REM. The thinning process of the Si(100) specimen by heating to 900°C with the oxygen exposure is dynamically observed by TEM. The observation of the surface steps on Si(100) with TEM is also carried out with considerable success. The present results lead us to the confirmation that the developed UHV-TEM can be applied to the study of the islands and silicides formation by in situ REM and TEM observation.
