Nucleation of Oxides during Dry Oxidation of Si(001)-2× 1 Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Morphological development of oxide islands on Si(001)-2× 1 surfaces during the initial stage of dry oxidation has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy. The oxidation was conducted at a substrate temperature of 560^°C under an oxygen pressure of 6.7× 10^-5 Pa. The initial oxide islands grow one-dimensionally until the number of oxygen atoms within an island reaches four, at which point the growth is converted into a two-dimensional growth mode.