Surface nanostructuring in the carbon–silicon(100) system upon microwave plasma treatment

The study is concerned with the physical and chemical processes and the mechanisms of the effect of plasma preparation of a surface on the systematic features of condensation and surface phase transformations during the formation of Si–C mask domains on $p$-Si(100) crystals by the deposition of submonolayer C coatings in the microwave plasma of low-pressure ethanol vapors. It is shown that, at short durations of the deposition of carbon onto silicon wafers with a natural-oxide coating at a temperature of 100$^\circ$C, the formation of domains is observed. The lateral dimensions of the domains lie in the range from 10–15 to 200 nm, and the heights of ridges produced by the plasma chemical etching of silicon through the mask domain coatings vary in the range from 40 to 80 nm.