Techniques and configurations for surface treatment of an integrated circuit substrate

A method, comprising:

• forming a bond pad on an integrated circuit substrate, the bond pad being configured to route electrical signals to or from the integrated circuit substrate and comprising a metal surface;
• forming a protective layer on the metal surface of the bond pad, the protective layer comprising a first functional group bonded with the metal surface and a second functional group bonded with the first functional group, wherein the second functional group inhibits contamination of the metal surface by hydrophilic materials and further inhibits oxidation of the metal surface, wherein forming the protective layer comprises applying a solution to the metal surface, the solution comprising greater than 85% ethanol by volume and less than 5% 12-(trimethylsilyl)-1-dodecanethiol by volume;
• and
• performing a thermal process on the integrated circuit substrate at a temperature greater than 200° C., wherein the protective layer inhibits oxidation of the metal surface during the thermal process.