Growth kinetics of native oxide on Si(111) surfaces treated in pH-modified buffered HF (BHF) solutions has been systematically studied by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A BHF-etched (pH=5.3) Si(111) surface has no Si-F bonds and dose not oxidize for 300 min in clean room air. FT-IR-attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurements of Si-H bonds existing on the BHF-treated Si(111) surface have revealed that the surface is nearly step-free and atomically flat. This explains the chemical stability of the Si(111) surface.
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