Photothermal Probe-Beam Deflection Measurement of Moisture Adsorption on a Silicon Surface Under Atmospheric Conditions

Abstract

Although there is much work done on thermal desorption of molecules on a solid surface /1/, most previous work was performed in vacuum or low-pressure conditions and utilized direct particle detectors (e.g. mass spectrometer). The present work examines photo-thermal desorption from a surface in atmospheric conditions utilizing a probe-beam deflection /2/ technique. This is demonstrated for an important case of adsorbed water on a silicon wafer with normal surface oxide.