Growth and transport of structure-controlled hydrogenated Si clusters for deposition on solid surfaces

We have studied the growth and transport of hydrogenated Si clusters in a vacuum system which has a cluster growth chamber consisting of an ion trap, a mass-selection chamber, and a cluster deposition chamber. The grown clusters were analyzed by mass spectrometers at three different positions along the cluster path. The results showed that Si6Hx+ (n = 1, 7, 13) cations were always observed. Of these, the clusters with x = 13 were the most stable, having a structure that corresponded to a ring structure with bulk-like sp(3) bonding. The grown clusters were extracted as an ion beam from the ion trap through the inside of the quadrupole in the ion trap. The cluster ions extracted were mass-selected and were deflected by a quadrupole lens out of the path of the effusive flow from the cluster growth chamber. The cluster ion beam was slowed to a deposition energy of 1 similar to 100 eV/atom and focused on the sample surface. It was confirmed that the characteristics of the cluster ion beam were controlled by the growth parameters in the ion trap.