Abstract
Surface stress can be utilized positively in modifying the surface reaction potential and increasing the surface reactivity. It will be a technique for two-dimensional patterning of surface chemical reactions by means of surface stress modulation. Blister is a local protrusion of solid surface induced by gas ion irradiation, and is considered to create local stress on surface layers. Si(100) substrate was irradiated with H+ (ion energy of 10 keV and fluence of 1×1022 ions/m2) at an angle of 30o to the surface normal. The blisters of several μm in diameter at the bottom were formed. After the ion irradiation, the substrate was oxidized. By means of scanning Auger microscopy, we observed that the rims of the blisters have higher oxygen intensities than the flat surfaces and the tops have lower than the flats. The stress distribution of the blister was calculated using finite element methods; the surface layers should be stretched laterally at the top of blisters and are compressed at the rim, relative to the flat surfaces. The O distribution clearly consists with the stress distribution of the surface. Our results demonstrate a patterned oxidation of Si surface applying its reactivity depending on the surface stress.
