Mechanism of the Initial Oxidation of Hydrogen andHalogen Terminated Ge(111) Surfaces in Air

The initial stage of the oxidation of Ge(111) surfaces etched by HF, HCl and HBr solutions is systematically studied using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-PES). We perform controlled experiments to differentiate the effects of different oxidation factors. SR-PES results show that both moisture and oxygen contribute to the oxidation of the surfaces; however, they play different roles in the oxidation process. Moisture effectively replaces the hydrogen and halogen termination layers with hydroxyl (OH), but hardly oxidizes the surfaces further. On the other hand, dry oxygen does not replace the termination layers, but breaks the Ge-Ge back bonds and oxidizes the substrates with the aid of moisture. In addition, room light enhances the oxidation rate significantly.