XPS and STM Studies on Initial Oxidation of Si(110)-16x2

The initial oxidation of Si(110)-16×2 clean surface has been investigated by using real-time synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. The Si(110) initial oxidation is characterized by its unique rapid oxidation right after the introduction of oxygen molecules, which is most likely attributed to the preferential reactions at the pentagon pairs of the 16×2 reconstruction.