The progress of the silicon-based complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology is mainly contributed to the scaling of the individual component. After decades of development, the scaling trend is approaching to its limitation, and there is urgent needs for the innovations of the materials and structures of the MOS devices, in order to postpone the end of the scaling. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides precise control of the deposited thin film at the atomic scale, and has wide application not only in the MOS technology, but also in other nanostructures. In this dissertation, I study rapid thermal processing (RTP) treatment of thermally grown SiO2, ALD growth of SiO2, and ALD growth of high-k HfO2 dielectric materials for gate oxides of MOS devices. Using a lateral heating treatment of SiO2, the gate leakage current of SiO2 based MOS capacitors was reduced by 4 order of magnitude, and the underlying mechanism was studied. Ultrathin SiO2 films were grown by ALD, and the electrical properties of the films and the SiO2/Si interface were extensively studied. High quality HfO2 films were grown using ALD on a chemical oxide. The dependence of interfacial quality on the thickness of the chemical oxide was studied. Finally I studied growth of HfO2 on two innovative interfacial layers, an interfacial layer grown by in-situ ALD ozone/water cycle exposure and an interfacial layer of etched thermal and RTP SiO2. The effectiveness of growth of high-quality HfO2 using the two interfacial layers are comparable to that of the chemical oxide. The interfacial properties are studied in details using XPS and ellipsometry.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-206).

L'oxyde de silicium est un composé très largement abondant qui existe sous différentes phases, cristallines ou amorphes, qui se présentent sous la forme de structures poreuses ou de films minces. Il s'agit d'un diélectrique traditionnel pour la microélectronique et d'un support de choix pour des nanoparticules dans des systèmes catalytiques. Sa structure, amorphe ou tridimensionnelle et complexe, rend difficile la compréhension des propriétés jusqu'aux échelles les plus élémentaires. Les films utra-minces épitaxiés, parfois nommés « silice bidimensionelle » se prêtent au contraire à des caractérisation fines de la structure et des propriétés.Cette thèse avait pour objectif de préparer une telle phase d'oxide de silicium. A l'aide de sondes de sciences des surfaces, la microscopie à effet tunnel (STM), la diffraction d'électrons rapides en réflexion (RHEED), dont les analyses ont été confrontées aux résultats de calculs en théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT), la structure de cette phase à pu être résolue jusqu'à l'échelle atomique. Nous avons mis en évidence l'arrangement hexagonal de tétraèdres de [SiO4], chimisorbés sur la surface (0001) du ruthenium en des sites spécifiques. Une phase d'oxygène diluée, reconstruite sur le Ru(0001), a été observée, qui coexiste avec l'oxide de silicium.La croissance de l'oxyde de silicium, a également été étudiée, par un suivi in operando, en temps réel pendant la croissance, par RHEED. Une évolution marquée de taille de domaines et/ou de l'accumulation et de la relaxation de déformations a été observée alors que l'oxyde de silicium crystallise. Un mécanisme de croissance a été proposé sur la base de ces observations, selon lequel les espèces chimiques à la surface se réorganisent par des déplacements latéraux élémentaires. Ce mécanisme s'accompagne de la formation, inévitable, de lignes de défauts uni-dimensionnelles, dont la structure a été déterminée à l'échelle atomique par STM. / Silicon oxide is a widely abundant compound existing in various forms from amorphous to crystalline, bulk to porous and thin films. It is a common dielectric in microelectronics and widely used host for nanoparticles in heterogenous catalysis. Its amorphous nature and the ill-defined complex three dimensional structure is a hurdle to the understanding of its properties down to the smallest scales. Resorting to epitaxially grown ultra-thin phase (also called a two-dimensional material) can help overcome these issues and provide clear-cut information regarding the structure and properties of the material.In this thesis, studies were aimed at growing this promising novel phase of silicon oxide. Using surface science tools, including scanning tunelling microscopy (STM) and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) supported by density functional theory calculations, the atomic structure was resolved to high resolution. The monolayer was found to have a hexagonal arrangement of the [SiO4] tetrahedra chemisorbed on the surface of Ru(0001) into specific sites. This lattice of monolayer silicon oxide was also found to coexist with an oxygen reconstruction of the bare Ru(0001) inside each silicon oxide cell.The growth of this monolayer was monitored in real-time by in operando RHEED studies. These experiments provided with insights the domain size evolution and the build up/release of strain field during the growth that. Based on the experimental observations, a growth mechanism leading to the formation of monolayer silicon oxide could be proposed in terms of geometrical translations of the atomic species on the surface of Ru(0001) support. This mechanism results in unavoidable formation of one-dimensional line-defects that were precisely resolved by the STM.

Orientador: Luiz Otávio Saraiva Ferreira. / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T04:03:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_MarioEduardodeBarrosGomeseNunesda_M.pdf: 3848213 bytes, checksum: ebb7fc7d814e03c6ae81ee577ddb158f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: A caracterização das propriedades mecânicas de filmes finos faz-se necessária para o projeto e fabricação de Microsistemas Eletromecânicos (MEMS - Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), que demanda dados precisos dos materiais. Esta pesquisa descreve um novo método de caracterização das propriedades mecânicas de filmes finos, barato e aplicávela uma ampla gama de materiais. Além do mais, este método também pode ser utilizado para avaliar a resistência das microestruturas durante cada etapa do processo de fabricação, e mesmo do sistema completo. Para realizar os experimentos de caracterização é utilizado um perfilômetro de superfície. Perfilômetros de superfície são dispositivos utilizados para medir a espessura e rugosidade de filmes, sendo essenciais em laboratórios de microfabricação. Tal fato permite que seja possivel repetir os experimentos deste trabalho em qualquer laboratório que possua um perfilômetro de superfície, sem a necessidade de investimento em novos equipamentos. O método de caracterização baseia-se na flexão de microestruturas suspensas. Os corpos de prova são fabricados no material em teste, e um perfilômetro de superfície é usado para defleti-los, e a partir dos dados desse experimento, pode-se calcular o módulo de Young. Caso os corpos de prova venham a se fraturar é possivel calcular a tensão de ruptura. Em uma primeira etapa do trabalho, foram caracterizados filmes de óxido de silício, fabricados por óxidação térmica de um substrado de silício monocristalino. Na segunda etapa, o método de caracterização foi expandido para filmes sobrepostos de materiais diversos e, foram caraterizados filmes de nitreto de silício, fazendo uso de microestruturas compostas de nitreto de silicio, depositado pelo método de vapor químico de baixa pressão (LPCVD), sobre o óxido de silício fabricado por óxidação térmica. O presente trabalho também sugere uma forma de utilizar o mesmo método de caracterização para determinar o coeficiente de Poisson, fazendo uso de várias amostras com expessuras diversas. Os corpos de prova foram fabricados no Centro de Componentes Semicondutores (CCS) da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), e os experimentos de deflexão realizados no Laboratório de Microfabricação (LMF) do Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia (LNNano) / Abstract: The mechanical properties characterization of thin films is necessary for MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) design and manufacture, which requires accurate materials data. This research describes a new method for mechanical properties characterization of thin films, inexpensive and applicable to a wide range of materials. Also, this method can be used to evaluate the resistance of the microstructures during each step of the manufacturing process, and even the complete system. To perform the experiments of characterization is used a surface profilometer. Surface profilometers are devices generally used to measure the films thickness and roughness, and they are essential in microfabrication laboratories. This fact allows the possibility of repetitive the experiments of this work in any laboratory that has a surface profilometer, without the necessity to invest in new equipment. The characterization method is based on bending of suspended microstructures. The specimens are fabricated in the material under test, and a surface profilometer is used to deflect then, and from this experiment data, it's possible to calculate the Young's modulus. If the specimens fracture, it is possible to calculate the tensile strength. In a first step, were characterized films of silicon oxide, manufactured by thermal oxidation of a monocrystalline silicon substrate. In the second step, the characterization method has been expanded to superimposed films of various materials and films of silicon nitride were characterized, by making use of microstructures consisting of silicon nitride, deposited by the method of low-pressure chemical vapor (LPCVD), over the silicon oxide produced by thermal oxidation. The present work also suggests a way to use the same characterization method for determining the Poisson's ratio, using various samples with different thickness. The specimens were fabricated in the Center for Semiconductor Components (CCS) of University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and the deflection experiments performed in the Microfabrication Laboratory (LMF) of Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Les films de silice dont sont constitués les traitements antireflets des verres de lunettes sont déposés par vaporisation au canon à électrons, à température ambiante. Ils sont le siège de fortes contraintes résiduelles compressives qui diminuent considérablement leur stabilité mécanique. Ces contraintes sont difficiles à contrôler parce que les paramètres process qui les affectent sont très nombreux: propriétés du substrat, du gaz résiduel, caractéristiques de l’enceinte et du canon à électrons, vitesse de croissance,… Ils ne sont par ailleurs pas tous indépendants et agissent souvent sur plusieurs phénomènes physiques à la fois. Dans cette thèse, nous mettons en œuvre des simulations numériques et des expériences pour identifier les mécanismes à l’origine de la mise en compression des films de silice pendant leur croissance. Les expériences nous permettent de distinguer trois régimes de croissance, en fonction de la pression de gaz résiduel. Sous vide très poussé, où le gaz a un rôle négligeable, les films croissent en compression. Ensuite, à mesure que la pression augmente, l’incorporation d’espèces issues du gaz dans les films les comprime légèrement. Enfin, lorsque la pression augmente encore, le ralentissement des particules vaporisées par le gaz diminue fortement le niveau de compression et masque l’effet d’incorporation. Les dépôts de silice par dynamique moléculaire nous permettent d’explorer la limite de vide idéal. Grâce à une étude paramétrique systématique, nous trouvons que la mise en compression des films est exclusivement contrôlée par l’énergie cinétique moyenne des particules incidentes. En outre, les valeurs expérimentales ne peuvent être retrouvées qu’avec une énergie de quelques eV, au moins dix fois plus grande que toutes les prédictions formulées dans la littérature sur le dépôt. Ce résultat inattendu nous conduit à réfuter l’idée que la vaporisation au canon à électrons procéderait par simple échauffement thermique. Nous le confirmons en déposant expérimentalement des films à partir de monoxyde de silicium, évaporé thermiquement ou vaporisé au canon à électrons: les premiers croissent en tension, les seconds en compression. Finalement, pour expliquer les quelques eV prédits, nous proposons que sous irradiation électronique, une concentration de charges se forme à la surface de la silice en raison de sa très faible conductivité électrique. Les particules vaporisées qui sont chargées sont alors accélérées par répulsion Coulombienne / Silica thin films are widely used as low index layers in antireflective coatings. In the ophthalmic industry, they are deposited at ambient temperature, by electron beam vaporization. This process generates large compressive stresses which make the coatings susceptible to damage. It is thus crucial to understand how these stresses emerge. However, this problem is highly complex because many process parameters may play a role: substrate and residual gas properties, characteristics of the deposition chamber, of the electron gun, growth rate,… Moreover, these parameters may depend on each other and affect several phenomena at the same time. In this thesis, numerical simulations and experiments are performed in order to identifiy the mechanisms responsible for the generation of compressive stresses during film growth. The experiments reveal three regimes of growth, depending on the residual gas pressure. Near ultra high vacuum, where the effect of residual gas is negligible, films grow under compression. Then, as pressure increases, incorporation of gas species in the films slightly compresses them. Eventually, when pressure is high enough so that vaporized particles are slowed down by collisions with gas particles, the level of compression significantly decreases; this rapidly masks the incorporation effect. Molecular dynamics simulations allow us to explore the ideal vacuum limit. By depositing silica films in a vast ensemble of conditions, we find that their compressive state of stress is solely controlled by the mean kinetic energy of incident particles. Comparison with experiments suggests that this energy is equal to a few eV, which is at least ten times greater than predictions from the literature on deposition. This unexpected result leads us to refute the idea that electron beam vaporization would be equivalent to simple themal heating. We confirm this experimentally, by comparing films deposited from silicon monoxide either thermally evaporated or vaporized using an electron beam: the formers grow under tension while the latters under compression. Finally, we explain the ejection of particles of a few eV as coming from the very low electrical conductivity of silica: under electronic irradiation, charges accumulate at its surface and accelerate the charged vaporized particles by Coulombian repulsions

This work has examines the creation and use of chemical templates for nanocircuit and other nanodevice fabrication. Chemical templating can be useful in attachment, orientation and wiring of molecularly templated circuits. DNA origami provides a suitable method for creating molecularly templated circuits as DNA can be folded into complex shapes and functionalized with active circuit elements, such as semiconducting nanomaterials. Surface attachment of DNA origami structures can be accomplished by hybridization of dangling single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on the origami structures with complementary surface-bound strands. Chemical templating provides a pathway for placing the patterned surface-bound attachment points needed for surface alignment of the molecular templates. Chemical templates can also be used to connect circuit elements on the surface by selectively metallizing the templates to form local wiring. AFM tip-directed nano-oxidation was selected as the method for patterning to create chemical templates. This project demonstrates new techniques for creating, continuous metallization of, and DNA attachment to nanochemical templates. Selective-continuous metallization of nanochemical templates is needed for wiring of circuit templates. To improve the metallization density and enable the continuous nano-scale metallization of amine-coated surfaces, the treatment of amine-coated surfaces with a plating additive prior to metallization was studied. The additive treatment resulted in a 73% increase in seed material, enabling continuous nano-scale metallization. A new method was developed to create amine nanotemplates by selective attachment of a polymer to surface oxide patterns created by nano-oxidation. The treatment of the templates with the additive enabled a five-fold reduction in feasible width for continuous metallization. Nano-oxidation was also used in the nanometer-scale patterning of a thiol-coated surface. Metallization of the background thiols but not the oxidized patterns resulted in a metal film that was a negative of the patterns. The resulting metal film may be useful for nanometer-scale pattern transfer. DNA-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were selectively attached to amine templates by an ionic interaction between the template and ssDNA attached to the particles. Only the ssDNA on the bottom of the AuNPs interacted with the template, leaving the top strands free to bind with complementary ssDNA. Attempts to attach origami structures to these particles were only marginally successful, and may have been hindered by the presence of complementary ssDNA in solution but not attached to the origami, or the by the low density of DNA-AuNPs attached to the templates. The formation of patterned binding sites by direct, covalent attachment of ssDNA to chemical templates was also explored. Initial results indicated that ssDNA was chemically bound to the templates and able to selectively bind to complementary strands; however, the observed attachment density was low and further optimization is required. Methods such as these are needed to enable nano-scale, site-specific alignment of nanomaterials.

Ce travail de thèse concerne l’étude des propriétés structurales et optiques de films minces de SiP et d’oxyde de silicium riches en phosphore. Dans les films de Si riches en phosphore recuits à 1100˚C, la formation de cristallites de SiP coexistant avec des polycristaux de Si est observée. Le SiP, qui cristallise dans une structure orthorhombique, est un matériau lamellaire potentiellement intéressant pour le développement de nouveaux matériaux 2D. Les caractérisations vibrationnelles sont en bon accord avec des calculs DFT pour l’alliage SiP. Les mesures de photoluminescence suggèrent de plus que SiP est un semi-conducteur à gap indirect dont le gap est de 1,5 eV. Dans le cas des films minces d’oxyde de silicium riches en phosphore, les propriétés structurales et optiques sont étudiées dans une large gamme de concentrations en phosphore. L’intensité de photoluminescence des nanocristaux de Si suit une évolution complexe lorsque la quantité de phosphore augmente. Pour de faibles teneurs en phosphore, celle-ci augmente ce qui est interprété par une augmentation de la densité des nanocristaux et par un effet de passivation par le phosphore des états électroniques localisés à l’interface nanocristaux/matrice. Les mesures de photoluminescence à basses températures ont permis de mettre en évidence un état électronique lié au phosphore situé à 0,6 eV sous la bande de conduction des nanocristaux de Si. Ce résultat montre qu’il est possible d’incorporer des atomes de phosphore électriquement actifs dans des nanocristaux de Si. Pour des teneurs en phosphore supérieures à 0,3 at.%, l’intensité de photoluminescence des nanocristaux de Si diminue puis disparaît totalement. Cela est lié d’une part à la formation de nanocristaux de Si de tailles supérieures au rayon de Bohr de l’exciton dans le Si (i.e. 5 nm) et d’autre part à la formation de nanoparticules de SiP2 cristallisant dans une structure orthorhombique. Pour des teneurs en phosphore supérieures à 3 at.%, seules des nanoparticules de SiP2 sont observées. Les spectroscopies associées à la microscopie électronique en transmission confirment la stœchiométrie du composé SiP2. Les propriétés vibrationnelles sont en excellent accord avec des calculs DFT pour l’alliage SiP2. / This thesis concerns the study of the structural and optical properties of SiP and phosphorus rich silicon oxide thin films. In phosphorus rich Si films annealed at 1100˚C, the formation of SiP crystallites coexisting with Si polycrystals is observed. SiP, which crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure, is a lamellar material which is of potential interest for the development of new 2D materials. The vibrational characterizations are in good agreement with DFT calculations for the SiP alloy. Photoluminescence measurements further suggest that SiP is an indirect bandgap semiconductor with a gap of 1.5 eV. In the case of phosphorus-rich silicon oxide thin films, the structural and optical properties are studied over a wide range of phosphorus concentrations. The photoluminescence intensity of Si nanocrystals follows a complex evolution as the amount of phosphorus increases. For low phosphorus contents, the photoluminescence intensity increases which is interpreted by an increase in the density of nanocrystals and by a passivation effect by phosphorus of the electronic states located at the nanocrystal/matrix interface. Photoluminescence measurements at low temperatures revealed a phosphor-related electronic state located at 0.6 eV below the Si nanocrystal conduction band. This result shows the possibility to incorporate electrically active phosphorus atoms into Si nanocrystals. For phosphorus contents higher than 0.3 at.%, the photoluminescence intensity of Si nanocrystals decreases and then disappears completely. This is related on the one hand to the formation of Si nanocrystals having sizes larger than the exciton Bohr radius in Si (i.e. 5 nm) and on the other hand to the formation of SiP2 nanoparticles crystallizing in an orthorhombic structure. For phosphorus contents above 3 at.%, only SiP2 nanoparticles are observed in the films. The spectroscopies associated with transmission electron microscopy confirm the stoichiometry of the SiP2 compound. The vibrational properties are in excellent agreement with DFT calculations for the SiP2 alloy.

Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados da caracterização estrutural e morfológica de filmes de oxinitreto de silício (SiOxNy) depositados pela técnica de deposição química a vapor assistida por plasma (PECVD) a baixa temperatura (320°C). O objetivo deste trabalho é relacionar a composição química de ligas amorfas de SiOxNy com suas propriedades ópticas, estruturais, morfológicas e mecânicas visando sua aplicação em dispositivos elétricos, optoeletrônica e microestruturas. A proposta é dar continuidade a trabalhos prévios desenvolvidos no grupo, que demonstraram a viabilidade de controlar a composição química e, como conseqüência, controlar as propriedades como o índice de refração, constante dielétrica e fotoluminescência de filmes de SiOxNy. As condições de deposição foram ajustadas de forma a obter dois tipos de material: filmes de SiOxNy de composição química controlável entre a do SiO2 e a do de Si3N4 e filmes de SiOxNy com composição rica em Si. O material foi caracterizado pelas técnicas de elipsometria, índice de refração por prisma acoplado, RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), XANES (X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy) na borda K do Si, O e N, medida de stress residual e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (Scanning Electron Microscopy) e de transmissão (Transmission Electron Microscopy). Os resultados mostraram que os filmes com composição química intermediária entre a do SiO2 e a do Si3N4 apresentam arranjo estrutural estável com a temperatura, mantendo as ligações e a estrutura amorfa mesmo após tratamentos térmicos a 1000°C. Também fora demonstrada a possibilidade de obter um material com baixo stress residual e índice de refração ajustável entre 1,46 e 2, resultados ótimos para aplicações em MOEMS (micro-opto-electro- mechanical systems). Já nas amostras ricas em Si foi observada a formação de diferentes fases, sendo uma delas formada por aglomerados de Si e a outra por material constituído por uma mistura de ligações Si-O e Si-N. Este material apresenta a formação de nanocristais de Si, dependendo do conteúdo de Si e das condições do tratamento térmico, permitindo assim, sua aplicação em dispositivos emissores de luz. / In this work results on the morphological and structural characterization of silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (PECVD) at low temperature (320°C) are presented. The main goal is to correlate the chemical composition of amorphous SiOxNy alloys to their optical, structural, morphological and mechanical properties intending applications on electrical, optoelectronic and micromechanical devices. The proposal is to continue previous research developed in this group, which demonstrated the possibility of tuning the chemical composition and, consequently, the SiOxNy films properties such as refractive index, dielectric constant and photoluminescence by the precise control of the deposition parameters. The deposition conditions were adjusted in order to obtain to material types, SiOxNy films with tunable chemical composition between SiO2 and Si3N4 and silicon-rich SiOxNy. The characterization was performed by elipsometry, refractive index by coupled prism, RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), XANES (X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy) on K edge of Si, O and N, residual stress measurement and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The films with chemical composition between SiO2 and Si3N4 presented stable structural arrangement with temperature, maintaining the chemical bonds and the amorphous structure after high temperature annealing. Also the results demonstrated the possibility of producing a low residual stress material and an adjustable refractive index since in the 1.46 to 2 range, excellent result for MOEMS devices (micro-opto-electro- mechanical systems applications. For silicon rich-samples the formation of different phases was observed, one formed by Si clusters and other one by a mixture of Si-O and Si-N bonds. Depending on the Si content and on the annealing conditions this material can present nanocristals, results which allowed us to understand and to optimize this material for light emitting devices applications.

A oxidação anódica local utilizando o Microscópio de Força Atômica (AFM - Atomic Force Microscopy) foi investigada aplicando-se uma tensão negativa entre sonda de nitreto de silício e superfícies de Si. Todas as amostras foram limpas em uma solução de 1 NH4OH (30%): 1H2O2 (38%): 4H2O(DI) a 80ºC conhecida na literatura como SC1 (Standard Cleaning 1) ou, alternativamente, uma imersão em solução diluída de ácido hidrofluorídrico seguido de SC1 ou fervura em álcool isopropílico. As nano-oxidações consistiram de padrões quadrados localizados de óxido com área de 0,25 µm² e foram obtidos através do crescimento de linhas paralelas com espaço e comprimento interlinear constante (<2 nm) e várias varreduras dos quadrados em uma mesma área. Das análises de AFM, foram obtidos perfis transversais e 3D, os quais foram empregados na obtenção da espessura do óxido como função da tensão aplicada, número de varreduras e intervalo de tempo após a limpeza SC1. Foi observado que a espessura aumenta com a tensão negativa aplicada e com o número de varreduras. Também foram realizadas simulações para levantar as distribuições de tensão e de campo elétrico no sistema sonda-ar-silício ou sonda-ar-óxido-silício(substrato). Observou-se uma oxidação local assistida por um alto campo elétrico capaz de induzir difusão iônica local finita na extremidade da sonda. Foi simulado também o efeito das diferentes terminações de sonda do AFM, circular ou pontiaguda, no campo elétrico e na queda de tensão. Foram também realizadas oxidações com sondas recobertas com ouro em superfícies de Si precedidas de imersão simples em solução de ácido hidrofluorídrico seguido ou não do procedimento de limpeza SC1. Por fim, análises de absorção por infravermelho (FTIR) foram realizadas em superfícies de Si oxidadas por AFM para analisar a estrutura dos óxidos anódicos obtidos. A oxidação anódica utilizando sondas de nitreto de silício ocorre apenas após pré-limpeza terminada com SC1, sendo catalisada pelos altos campos elétricos (_ 106 V/cm), tendo como elementos reagentes, as espécies H2O adsorvidas e o óxido nativo hidrolisado na superfície após a etapa de limpeza SC1. / Local anodic oxidation of silicon using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was investigated by applying a negative voltage between silicon nitride tip and Si surfaces. All samples were cleaned with an ammonium-based solution known in literature as standard cleaning 1 (SC1) or a dip in a diluted hydrofluoric acid solution followed by SC1 or, also, boiling in isopropyl alcohol. Localized squares patterns of oxide, 0.25 µm² in area, were formed by growing parallel lines with constant interlinear spacing and length and several scans in the same area. From AFM analysis with non-biased tip, it was obtained 3D and section profiles, which were used to obtain the oxide thickness as a function of the applied voltage, number of scans and interval of time after SC1 cleaning. It was noteworthy that thickness increases with the applied negative voltage and with the number of scans. Simulations were performed in order to model voltage and electric field distributions of the system tip-air-silicon or tip-air-oxide-silicon(substrate) indicating a local oxidation assisted by high electrical field and local ionic diffusion of species. It was simulated the effect of tip termination, circular or sharpen, on the electric field and voltage distributions. In addition, oxidations were performed using Au coated tips onto Si surfaces previously dipped in diluted hydrofluoric acid solution followed or not by SC1 cleaning process. Finally, infrared absorption analysis (FTIR) were performed in order to analise the structure of the obtained anodic oxides. The anodic oxidation using silicon nitride tips has occurred only after SC1 precleaning step, being catalized by high electric field (_ 106 V/cm), having as reagents, the adsorbed water species and hydrolized native oxide on the surface after the SC1 cleaning step.

<p>The work described in this thesis aims to achieving surface patterning through chemical activation of thiolated silicon oxide surfaces, resulting in a spatially controlled covalent immobilization of biomolecules with high resolution.</p><p>Existing chemical methods to immobilize molecules on surfaces do not reach below the micrometer scale while the ones allowing for spatial control mostly lead to non-covalent adsorption of molecules on surfaces, or require several successive chemical reactions to obtain the final covalent immobilization. Methods with improved chemical processes and novel surface modification techniques had to be developed. </p><p>A basic need for studying interactions of biomolecules on chemically modified surfaces with high resolution is the ability to obtain a simple, inexpensive method resulting in ultraflat densely packed and reproducible organic monolayers. Therefore, a new method for silicon oxide chemical derivatization, fulfilling these requirements, was developed. </p><p>Thiol derivatized silicon oxide surfaces allow for a diversity of activation reactions to occur, resulting in thiol-disulfide exchange. The electrooxidation of surface-bound thiol groups was investigated as a way of generating reactive thiolsulfinates/thiolsulfonates, by application of a positive potential difference to the silicon surfaces. Peptide molecules containing thiol groups were successfully immobilized to the electroactivated surfaces. In addition, this new chemical activation method offers the possibility to release the bound molecules in order to regenerate the surfaces. Subsequently, the thiolated surfaces can be reactivated for further use.</p><p>Since the activated area depends directly on the size of the electrodes used for the oxidation, nanoscale activation of the thiolated surfaces was performed by use of an AFM tip as counter-electrode. Electrooxidized patterns, with a line width ranging from 70 nm to 200 nm, were obtained. A thiol-rich protein, b-galactosidase, was selectively immobilized onto the electroactivated patterns.</p><p>An electrochemical version of microcontact printing was developed in order to activate large surface areas with micrometer scale patterns. Conductive soft polymer stamps were produced using an evaporated aluminum coating. Patterned electroactivation of thiols was achieved, and polystyrene beads were subsequently specifically immobilized onto the patterns.</p><p>As a conclusion, these different projects resulted in a strategy enabling the achievement of nanoscale and microscale positioning and immobilization of biomolecules on silicon surfaces, with potential reversibility and reuse of the surfaces.</p>