The Role of Backbond Strain in Silicon Surfaces on the Decomposition of NH3 and PH3
Abstract
Silicon adatoms on the Si(111)-(7x7) surface form strained Si-Si backbonds with underlying silicon atoms. The strain at adatom sites causes both NH2(a) and PH2(a) to be thermally unstable compared to the same species on the Si(100)-(2xl) surfaces which contains less-strained silicon surface atoms. The surface strain induces enhanced NH2(a) and PH2(a) dissociation on Si(111)-(7x7) adatom sites compared to Si(100)-(2xl). Thus both NH2(a) and PH2(a) can participate in recombination reactions on Si(100) to produce major amounts of NH3(g) and PH3(g) above 600 K; such reactions are absent on Si(111)-(7x7) surfaces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 23, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA253771
Entities
People
- J. T. Yates Jr.
- M. L. Colaianni
- P. J. Chen
Organizations
- University of Pittsburgh