Effect of Plasma Treatment on the Spontaneous Formation and Morphology of Surface Nanobubbles on Silicon
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866908371297239040 |
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| author | Siddique, Anayet Ullah Warren, Roseanne |
| author_facet | Siddique, Anayet Ullah Warren, Roseanne |
| contents | The formation of gaseous, spherical cap-shaped domains (so-called "surface nanobubbles") at the solid-liquid interface is a topic of fundamental interest due to the possible effects of nanobubbles on surface cleaning, wetting, and nanoscale patterning. This work investigates the spontaneous formation of surface nanobubbles on oxygen plasma-treated Si by PeakForce quantitative nanomechanics (PFQNM) imaging, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. Large quantities of surface nanobubbles with sub-10 nm height and sub-100 nm base width are observed on oxygen plasma-treated Si surfaces that have been "aged" in atmospheric conditions (stored in a plastic wafer container). Several days of aging time are required for surface nanobubbles to form on oxygen plasma-treated Si, at which point the bubbles are remarkably consistent in their properties across samples aged 5-12 days. The presence of surface nanobubbles on plasma-treated aged Si surfaces runs contrary to prior reports of infrequent nanobubble formation on Si/SiOx. Surface characterization supports a theory of post-plasma atmospheric hydrocarbon adsorption inducing changes in Si-wetting behavior to a sufficient extent that nanobubble formation can occur. The results are of importance in Si-based fabrication processes employing oxygen plasma treatment with subsequent DI water immersion. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_13685 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Effect of Plasma Treatment on the Spontaneous Formation and Morphology of Surface Nanobubbles on Silicon Siddique, Anayet Ullah Warren, Roseanne Chemical Physics The formation of gaseous, spherical cap-shaped domains (so-called "surface nanobubbles") at the solid-liquid interface is a topic of fundamental interest due to the possible effects of nanobubbles on surface cleaning, wetting, and nanoscale patterning. This work investigates the spontaneous formation of surface nanobubbles on oxygen plasma-treated Si by PeakForce quantitative nanomechanics (PFQNM) imaging, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. Large quantities of surface nanobubbles with sub-10 nm height and sub-100 nm base width are observed on oxygen plasma-treated Si surfaces that have been "aged" in atmospheric conditions (stored in a plastic wafer container). Several days of aging time are required for surface nanobubbles to form on oxygen plasma-treated Si, at which point the bubbles are remarkably consistent in their properties across samples aged 5-12 days. The presence of surface nanobubbles on plasma-treated aged Si surfaces runs contrary to prior reports of infrequent nanobubble formation on Si/SiOx. Surface characterization supports a theory of post-plasma atmospheric hydrocarbon adsorption inducing changes in Si-wetting behavior to a sufficient extent that nanobubble formation can occur. The results are of importance in Si-based fabrication processes employing oxygen plasma treatment with subsequent DI water immersion. |
| title | Effect of Plasma Treatment on the Spontaneous Formation and Morphology of Surface Nanobubbles on Silicon |
| topic | Chemical Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.13685 |