Silicon (100)/SiO2 by XPS

Silicon (100) substrates are ubiquitous in microfabrication and, accordingly, their surface characteristics are important. Herein, we report the analysis of Si (100) via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) using monochromatic Al Kα radiation. Survey scans show that the material is primarily silicon and oxygen with small amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and fluorine contamination. The Si 2p region shows two peaks that correspond to elemental silicon and silicon dioxide. Using these peaks the thickness of the native oxide (SiO2) is estimated using the equation of Strohmeier. The oxygen peak is symmetric. These silicon wafers are used as the substrate for subsequent growth of templated carbon nanotubes in the preparation of microfabricated thin layer chromatography plates.