Study on flat surface formation process in EEM.
–Effect of pure water and dissolved oxygen on flatness of processed Si(001) surface–

Abstract

Si(001) surfaces processed by EEM are clarified to be very flat ones with a flatness of 0.1 nm (RMS). In this study, we investigated the reason why such flat surfaces could be reailzed. In particurar, we focused on affect of ultra pure water and dissolved oxygen in EEM fluid water on processed surfaces. Flatness of Si(001) surfaces became worse, being dipped in ultrapure water. On contrast, they were kept for more than 2 days, being dipped in EEM fluid water. There were no difference of surfaces roughness and removal rate between presence and absence of dissolved oxigen in EEM fluid water.