The presence of native oxide on a Si surface has been recognized as an impediment to the formation of the high-quality ultra-thin gate, atomic layer epitaxy, and small metal contacts on the surface. Suppressing the native oxide growth during the surface cleaning and precisely controlling the interface prior to the advanced ultra-large scale integration processes have become crucial. This recognition has led to the considerable efforts of studying the growth mechanism of the native oxide on wafer surfaces and developing new analytical techniques that are capable of monitoring the ultra-thin native oxide on a Si surface, at or below a monolayer level. Read more