Control factor of native oxide growth on silicon in air or in ultrapure water

Abstract

Native silicon (Si) oxide growth on Si (100) wafers in air and in ultrapure water at room temperature requires coexistence of water and oxygen in the air and ultrapure water ambients. The growth rate data on n-, n+-, and p+-Si (100) in air indicate layer-by-layer growth of an oxide. The growth rate on n-Si (100) in ultrapure water may be governed by a parabolic law. For native oxide growth in ultrapure water, the number of Si atoms dissolved in ultrapure water is over one order of magnitude larger than the number of Si atoms contained in the grown native oxide film. The structural difference between the native oxide film in air and in ultrapure water is also discussed.