Formation and desorption of SiI2 molecules

The chemical etching of Si(100)−(2×1) in I2 ambient is considered. The desorption activation energy of SiI2 molecules is evaluated from experimental data. It is found that the desorption activation energy of SiI2 molecules is equal to Ed=(1.95±0.02)eV. This corresponds to a value of the mean lifetime of adsorbed molecules on the surface of τ=(380±150)s at temperature T=650K.