Nanomodification of silicon (100) surface with scanning tunnelling microscopy using polysilicon on silicon structure

The possibility of growing nanometre scale oxides on silicon surfaces using the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) opens a new field of applications for this instrument. The present paper reports a polysilicon on silicon structure microfabricated using standard CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) processes which will allow characterisation of the as grown oxides using various techniques. The structure is characterised by STM and atomic force microscopy to study the effect of reactive ion etching damage and HF etching over the silicon surface. Finally, a new technique to carry out local oxidation of a silicon (100) surface using STM is presented, which is based on controlling the electrical field between the tip of the STM and the surface of the sample. © 1995 The Institute of Materials.