Low Temperature Oxidation of Silicon Studied by Photosensitive ESR and Auger Electron Spectroscopy

Abstract

The effect of hydration of silicon oxide surfaces on the thermal oxidation process has been investigated, and the following three‐step model for the thermal oxidation of silicon has been proposed: (i) In the temperature range of oxidation up to 600°C the number of Si‐OH groups on the surface increases very rapidly with increasing temperature of oxidation, mainly due to the oxidation of Si‐H groups from the etched surface; (ii) at 600°–800°C there is a gradual dehydration of the oxide surface due to the transformation of Si‐OH into Si‐O; and (iii) above 800°C, the oxidation process is little affected by surface hydration but there exists an anomaly in hydration around 800°C.