CHANGES IN SURFACE-AREA AND COMPOSITION DURING GRINDING OF SILICON INENVIRONMENTS OF VARIOUS QUALITY

Changes in particle size, surface properties, and composition brought about by planetary grinding of silicon in air and various permittivity liquids were investigated, Using a variety of spectroscopic technique s (ESR, IRS, and XPS), a mechanically induced surface oxidation was pr oved. While at grinding in air and organic liquids a part of the cente rs originating from dangling orbitals on Si-III are preserved, the pro perties of water-ground silicon are fully governed by the oxide surfac e shell. The most effective particle size reduction and surface protec tion can be reached by grinding in nonpolar liquids.