2015 Volume 10 Pages 1406079
A gas cluster is a collection of atoms or molecules weakly bound by van der Waals forces. Gas clusters may form by the adiabatic expansion of gases. In this study, it is demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulations that a low-energy beam of oxygen gas clusters may be used to oxidize the top surface layer of silicon (Si) substrates without affecting its deeper layers. An incident oxygen gas cluster with sufficiently low incident energy may stick to the Si surface and expose a large number of oxygen molecules to the surface Si atoms for extended periods until the cluster sublimates. This may cause the formation of Si-O bonds only on the top Si surface. This is in contrast to the oxidation of Si by oxygen ion beams or plasmas, where deeper layers of the Si surface are typically oxidized by the energetic incident oxygen ions. An oxidized single Si layer may be chemically removed; therefore, this nearly single-layer oxidation process by oxygen gas cluster beams may lead to the development of a new atomic layer etching technology for Si.
