Nano-Raman spectroscopy of silicon surfaces

Abstract: Near-field enhanced, nano-Raman spectroscopy has been successfully used to probe the surface chemistry of silicon prepared using standard wafer cleaning and processing techniques. The results demonstrate the utility of this measurement for probing the local surface chemical nano-environment with very high sensitivity. Enhancements were observed for the vibrational (stretching) modes of Si-H, F-Si-H and possibly also B-O-Si consistent with the surface treatments applied. The nano-probes did not enhance the phononic features of the silicon substrate.