# First-Principle Study of Phosphine Adsorption on Si(001)-2$\times$1-Cl

## TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to investigate phosphine adsorption on chlorinated silicon surfaces, revealing how defects influence dissociation and phosphorus placement, enabling atomic-scale doping techniques.

## Contribution

It provides detailed insights into phosphine dissociation and phosphorus incorporation at defects on Si(001)-2×1-Cl surfaces, proposing a method for atomic-scale phosphorus doping.

## Key findings

- Activation barriers for PH3 dissociation were identified.
- Phosphine dissociation occurs at room temperature on vacancies.
- Phosphorus can be precisely placed in silicon using defect engineering.

## Abstract

This paper presents a DFT study for phosphine adsorption on a Si(001)-2$\times$1 surface covered by a chlorine monolayer, including adsorption on local defects, i.e. mono- and bivacancies in the adsorbate layer (Cl, Cl$_2$), and combined vacancies with removed silicon atoms (SiCl, SiCl$_2$). Activation barriers were found for the adsorbing PH$_3$ to dissociate into PH$_2$+H and PH+H$_2$ fragments; it was also established that phosphine dissociation on combined vacancies is possible at room temperature. If there is a silicon vacancy on the surface, phosphorus settles in the Si(001) lattice as PH (if the vacancy is SiCl) or as PH$_2$ (if the vacancy is SiCl$_2$). This paper suggests a method to plant a separate phosphorus atom into the silicon surface layer with atomic precision, using phosphine adsorption on defects specially created on a Si(001)-2$\times$1-Cl surface with an STM tip.