In situConductance Measurement of Surface Phases on Silicon by the Four-Probe Method

The experimental chamber, automation system, and method for measuring the conductance of surface phases on silicon are described. This chamber is intended for measuring the conductance of superthin films and surface phases on single-crystal silicon substrates by the four-probe method under ultrahigh vacuum conditions (10 –10 Torr). The system is controlled by a computer and contains 12-bit analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. The measurement error is ≤0.5%. The measurement rate is 10 points/s.