MONOLAYER FORMATION OF ORGANOSILANE COMPOUNDS ON HYDROXYLIC SURFACES

In this study external reflection infrared spectroscopy and ellipsomet ry were used to investigate the formation and structure of monolayers of octadecyltrichlorosilane on native silicon surfaces (Si/SiO2). It i s shown that during the initial stage of the adsorption process liquid -like films with randomly oriented hydrocarbon chains are formed. With increasing surface coverage this isotropic submonolayer structure cha nges into a highly ordered, crystalline monolayer phase. The overall t ime required for complete monolayer formation depends strongly on the water content of the adsorbate solution.