Method and apparatus for neutral beam processing based on gas cluster ion beam technology and articles produced thereby

A method of treating a surface of a silicon substrate comprising the steps of:

• providing a reduced pressure chamber;
• forming a gas cluster ion beam, comprising gas cluster ions comprising carbon atoms, within the reduced pressure chamber;
• accelerating the gas cluster ions to form an accelerated gas cluster ion beam along a beam path within the reduced pressure chamber;
• promoting fragmentation and/or dissociation of at least a portion of the accelerated gas cluster ions along the beam path;
• removing charged particles from the beam path to form an accelerated neutral beam along the beam path in the reduced pressure chamber;
• holding the silicon substrate in the beam path;
• treating at least a portion of a surface of the silicon substrate by irradiating it with the accelerated neutral beam;
• and
• wherein the promoting and removing steps occur prior to irradiating the surface.