Experimental Study of Thermodynamic Surface Characteristics and pH Sensitivity of Silicon Dioxide and Silicon Nitride

Abstract

In this report, we have introduced a revision of the chemical treatment influence on the surface thermodynamic properties of silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) and silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) solid thin layers. Some characterization techniques might be used to quantify the thermodynamic properties of solid surface and predict its ability in the adhesion phenomenon. In this work, we have used static and dynamic contact angle (CA) measurements to characterize both dioxide solid surfaces being treated by using the two procedures of cleaning and chemical activation. Qualitative and quantitative concepts of analysis, using the Van Oss approach, are based on the determination of dioxide surface hydrophilic and hydrophobic features and the thermodynamic parameters such as free energy, acid, base, and Lewis acid-base surface tension components. Electrochemical capacitance-potential measurements were carried out to study the reactivity of both silicon dioxide and silicon nitride surfaces for pH variation. Furthermore, the surface roughness of these insulators was examined by using the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was concluded that CA technique can be used as a suitable and base method for the understanding of surface wettability and for the control of surface wetting behavior.

Electrochemical Capacitive K+ EMIS Chemical Sensor Based on the Dibromoaza[7]helicene as an Ionophore for Potassium Ions Detection

“…Contact angle measurement is a quantitative analysis by measuring the angles formed by a liquid droplet and the substrate, at the three‐phase boundary where a liquid, gas, and solid intersect . The measurements were performed using the “Digidrop” instrument from the GBX society (France).…”

Characterization of the wettability of thin nanostructured films in the presence of evaporation

“…Due to the lack of wettability data on these types of structures, we can only state that the resulting internal contact angle, 30°, lies within the range of reported values for external contact angle (10-45°) for Si wafers with and without an oxide layer [5,8,[24][25][26][27][28]. The relatively large range for these reported values are a result of variations in surface roughness [29], cleaning procedure [27], pH [30], thermal treatments and SiO 2 growth conditions [8]. Fig.…”

Diamond/β-SiC Composite Thin Films: Preparation, Properties and Applications

“…In this context, the wettability of the thin film surface is important to explain its interactions with chemicals or biological species. It has been illustrated that different bio-technological applications require different surface hydrophilicities or hydrophobicities [41][42][43][44][45][46]. Therefore, to fabricate the composite films based biosensors, it is essential to firstly understand and modify the surface status of the films.…”

“…Because of the OH-terminated β-SiC phase, the surface of the chemically treated composite films is charged in solutions with different pH values [40,42]. While considering a modified thin film surface for the biosensoric applications, this implication is very important, since the biomolecules are also charged in the solutions.…”