Atomic-level study of the robustness of the Si(100)-2×1:H surface following exposure to ambient conditions

The in situ hydrogen-passivated Si(100)-2×1 surface is characterized with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultra-high-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) following exposure to ambient conditions. The XPS measurements illustrate the chemical inertness of this surface as the onset of oxidation is not observed for the first 40 h of ambient exposure. After 15 min of contact with atmospheric conditions, the STM images reveal that the Si(100)-2×1:H surface remains atomically pristine. This exceptional stability is of relevance to a wide variety of applications that require ultrapure Si(100) substrates (e.g., microelectronics, semiconductor processing, nanofabrication, etc.).