Kinetics of High Pressure Oxidation of Silicon in Pyrogenic Steam

Abstract

The kinetics of high pressure oxidation of silicon in pyrogenic steam were investigated for ambient pressures of 5–20 atm and for oxidation temperatures of 800°–1000°C. A linear‐parabolic model was used in the analysis of the data. Both rate constants of the analytic model were found to be linearly proportional to pressure for the entire range of temperature and pressure. Fixed oxide charge and interface state densities for oxides grown at high pressure were found to be slightly higher at lower temperatures, particularly below 900°C, than for oxides grown at 1 atm. Electron trapping by avalanche injection in oxides grown on (111) Si at 5 atm in pyrogenic steam (800°C) yielded effective trap densities and capture cross sections similar to those obtained at 1 atm.