Electrochemical characterization of self-assembled monolayers on semiconducting substrates for MEMS applications

Passivating behavior of Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on an n-type Si (100) electrode has been investigated with and without a redox species like ferrocene in polar non-aqueous medium. The electron transfer behavior of ferrocene is found to be drastically affected by the presence of monolayer and reasons for this are analyzed as a function of change in resistance, dielectric thickness and coverage of the monolayer. The thickness and the coverage of the monolayer are 2.17 nm and 99.8% respectively. Further contact angle measurements illustrate the change in hydrophobicity and homogeneity of the Si substrate after derivatived with SAM