Highly efficient oxidation of silicon at low temperatures using atmospheric pressure plasma Available to Purchase

Silicon oxide $(SiO2)$ layers were formed with initial oxidation rates in the range of $6.2–14.1nm∕min$ in the temperature range of $150–400°C$ by oxidizing Si(001) wafers. Such a high-rate and low-temperature oxidation was realized by using a stable glow $He∕O2$ plasma excited at atmospheric pressure by a $150MHz$ very high-frequency power. Increasing the temperature led to both the higher oxidation rate and the better quality of $SiO2$ and $SiO2∕Si$ interface. The oxidation at $400°C$ showed an interface trap density of $6.2×1010eV−1cm−2$⁠, which is considerably lower than that in a radical oxidation process using low-pressure $He∕O2$ plasma at the same temperature.