title: Cl insertion on Si(100)-(2x1): etching under conditions of supersaturation.
abstract: We use scanning tunneling microscopy to show that Cl2 dosing of Cl-saturated Si(100)-(2x1) surfaces at elevated temperature leads to uptake beyond "saturation" and allows access to a new etching pathway. This process involves Cl insertion in Si-Si dimer bonds or backbonds, diffusion of the inserted Cl, and ultimately desorption of SiCl2. Investigations into the etch kinetics reveal that insertion occurs via a novel form of Cl2 dissociative chemisorption that is mediated by dangling bond sites. Upon dissociation, one Cl atom adsorbs at the dangling bond while the other can insert.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Butera
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Weaver