LOW-TEMPERATURE OXIDATION OF SILICON IN DRY O2 AMBIENT BY UV-IRRADIATION

The mechanism of thermal oxidation of silicon in dry O2 ambient with UV-irradiation has been discussed. The dependence of SiO2 thickness on oxidation time follows the model proposed by Cabrera and Mott for relatively short oxidation time. Such dependence follows the model by Deal and Grove for longer time. The main oxidizing species is ozone (O3) or some other reactive species generated from O2 at lower temperatures and this gradually changes to O2 with an increase in temperature. The SiO2 film formed at 500-degrees-C for 1 h by the present technique has a similar quality to that of SiO2 formed at high temperatures in dry O2 ambient, as evaluated from Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) characteristics.