The effect of p-type doping on the oxidation of H-Si(111) studied by second-harmonic generation

TL;DR

This study investigates how p-type doping with boron affects the oxidation process of hydrogen-terminated silicon (H-Si(111)), revealing that doping accelerates oxidation and alters bond reactivity, as shown by microscopy and second-harmonic generation.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the role of holes in enhancing silicon oxidation, specifically how boron doping influences bond reactivity on H-Si(111).

Findings

Boron doping increases oxidation rate of H-Si(111).

Holes significantly boost reactivity of Si-H up bonds.

Second-harmonic generation effectively probes bond-specific oxidation.

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy and second-harmonic generation data show that boron doping enhances the rate of oxidation of H-terminated silicon. Holes cause a greater increase in the reactivity of the Si-H up bonds than that of the Si-Si back bonds.