Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The electronic structure of dimerized trimethylaluminum (TMA), Al2(CH3)6. adsorbed on Si(100) surfaces has been investigated using molecular orbital (MO) calculations based on a cluster description of TMA/Si(100). The calculated results suggest that the interactions between TMA and the Si(100) surface are described by overlap of the TMA electron-deficient bond and Si surface dangling-bond orbitals. The electron-deficient bond orbital is the highest occupied MO of TMA and acts as an electron acceptor for charge transfer from a surface Si atom to TMA consistent with observed core-level and valence photoelectron spectra.