Atomic-level robustness of the Si(100)-2×1: H surface following liquid phase chemical treatments in atmospheric pressure environments

The robustness of the in situ prepared Si(100)-2×1:H surface followed by liquid phase chemical processing under atmospheric pressure conditions was analyzed. Directly interfaced nitrogen glovebox permitted combined UHV and ambient processing without exposing pristine H-passivated surface to ambient air. The hydrogen passivation remained largely intact after treatments in toluene and dichloromethane which was revealed by atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images. The results show that liquid phase processing of monohydride Si(100) surface with minimal perturbation at atomic scale enables innovative surface treatments with potential applications in silicon microelectronics and nanofabrication.