Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The HF/Ethanol cleaning treatment is analyzed in comparison to the HF/H 20 one. The surface analysis is made on <100> silicon wafers with sacrificial oxide layer and silicon wafers with different crystallographic orientation without sacrificial layer. The results deduced from Atomic Force Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and ellipsometry, show that siliconfluorine bonds are related with reactive sites. The structure of the thermally thin oxide layer grown after both cleanings has been analyzed and the electrical measurements show better performance for the HF/Ethanol cleaning.