Effect of chemical termination of self-assembled organic monolayers on the tip induced local anodic oxidation of silicon(100)

We evaluated the scanning probe microscope based anodization process of silicon(100) terminated by organic monolayers of the same thickness but with different surface properties. The surface energy of these monolayers with its dispersive and polar component was determined by contact angle measurements. We discovered that the anodization oxide characteristics depend ceteris paribus clearly on the surface properties of the sample. With an increased polar component, and therefore hydrophilic character of the surface, the formed oxide structures became broader and thinner. On the other hand a hydrophilic surface allowed the generation of oxide structures at higher tip velocities and lower applied voltages. The absolute amount of formed oxide is independent of the monolayer indicating a dominating influence of initially formed oxide on the following oxidation process.