Improvement of SiO2 properties by heating treatment in high pressure H2O vapor

Properties of SiO2 and SiO2/Si interfaces formed by plasma chemical vapor deposition were improved by heating at 270 degrees C in high pressure H2O vapor. The treatment reduced the fixed oxide charge density from 2.5 x 10(12) cm(-2) (initial) to 8x10(10) cm(-2) as the H2O vapor pressure increased to 54 bar. The peak frequency of the absorption band caused by the Si-O antisymmetric stretching vibration mode was increased to 1078 cm(-1) for treatment with 54 bar H2O vapor, while it was 1062 cm(-1) before the treatment,. The full width at half-maximum of the absorption band was reduced to 65 cm(-1).