Adsorption and reaction of silver on an oxidized Si(001) surface

The adsorption and reaction of silver on an oxidized Si(0 0 1) surface were investigated on the basis of Si 2p, Ag 3d and O 1s core-level photoemission measurements at room temperature (RT). We compared the present results with those obtained in the case of titanium in our previous study. We found that silver on an oxidized Si(0 0 1) surface at RT causes a reduction in the intensity of the Si1+ and Si2+ states and an increase in the intensity of the Si3+ and Si4+ states. Based on an analysis of the Ag 3d and 0 is states, we concluded that the change in the Si 2p oxidized states upon silver adsorption is due to charge transfer rather than conformation change, although the applicability of the charge transfer scheme may be dependent on the thickness of the silver layer. We also deduced that penetration of silver atoms through a thin silicon oxide film occurs. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.