Improvement of Thickness Uniformity of Silicon on Insulator Layer by Numerically Controlled Sacrificial Oxidation Using Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma with Electrode Array System

Abstract

Recently, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have attracted great interest from manufacturers of semiconductor devices because of their excellent electrical characteristics. According to International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors 2007, a very uniform surface Si layer will be required in a few years; however, no production method has been identified. To achieve the required uniformity in surface Si layer thickness, a new method of numerically controlled sacrificial oxidation using atmospheric-pressure plasma was developed. This paper demonstrates a new electrode array system developed for rapid processing. A very uniform oxide with a peak-to-valley (PV) of 0.13 nm was obtained; the relationship of oxide thickness versus oxidation time is shown.