Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The initial stage of oxidation of 40wt-% NH4F treated Si(111) surface at 300 °C in dry oxygen with a pressure of 133 Pa and the subsequent oxidation at 600 and 800°C were studied. It was found from the analysis of Si 2p photoelectron spectra that non-uniform layer by layer oxidation proceeds at 300°C, while the layer by layer oxidation proceeds at 600 and 800°C. Furthermore, at these temperatures the interface becomes atomically flat with the progress of oxidation.