Significant enhancement of Si oxidation rate at low temperatures by atmospheric pressure $Ar∕O2$ plasma Available to Purchase

Using stable atmospheric pressure plasma, the effect of inert gas (He, Ar, and Kr) mixed with $O2$ on the oxidation process of Si(001) wafers was investigated. $Ar∕O2$ plasma was shown capable of generating atomic oxygen most efficiently and significantly enhanced the oxidation rate in comparison with $He∕O2$ plasma, while $Kr∕O2$ plasma was not suitable for the low-temperature and high-rate oxidation of Si. As a result, by using $Ar∕O2$ plasma, oxide layers having equivalent quality to that by $He∕O2$ plasma could be formed with a drastically high initial oxidation rate of $28.0nm∕min$⁠.