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As the applications of semiconductors, MEMS and other technologies
grow, the ability to make silicon wafers and films becomes more
important. One of the more common ways to grow silicon wafers and
thin films is through the technique called gas-source molecular beam
epitaxy (GS-MBE). This process involves building up the silicon
surface from silane (
) or disilane (
) gas. This process is
not limited to silicon other films are similarly formed, for example
Germanium [5]. GS-MBE deposits the gas on a substrate at a
particular rate. Once on the substrate the atoms diffuse to form
surfaces, steps and in the end thin films. As this process becomes
more and more prevalent the importance of understanding the
interactions of hydrogen on the silicon surface increases. It is
already well established that hydrogen on the surface inhibits surface
diffusion of silicon. Hydrogen also affects the formation of the
lattice causing the silicon to favor island growth over step flow
growth [2,5,3]. The
rate of deposition onto the substrate is a function of the
temperature. This is because the hydrogen must be allowed to desorb
before more silicon is deposited. Hydrogen desorbs, or leaves the
surface, as 
. Since hydrogen affects the kinetics and growth of
silicon wafers its desorption is an important aspect to study
[12].
Chris Siefert and Molly Moore 2002