Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The removal of metals from the Si surface during aqueous cleaning is controlled by the thermodynamics of the metal ions dissolved in solution, the thermodynamics of the metal/Si surface complex, as well as the kinetics of the reactions taking place. In this paper we address one aspect of this problem: the thermodynamics of the metal/Si surface complex. We show that a number of cleaning effects can be explained by these considerations which involve the construction and application of metal/Si/oxygen ternary phase diagrams. Specifically, a class of metals with relatively unstable oxides, but stable silicides as shown by the phase diagrams are predicted to be difficult to remove from the Si surface; this prediction is born out by the available experimental data.