Laser-Assisted Oxidation and Nitridation

Abstract

This chapter will review the laser-assisted growth of insulating films through controlled heating in the solid phase. Oxidation, being the most studied reaction in this area, forms the largest section of the chapter, although nitridation, and polymerization of thin organic films by laser induced thermal effects will also be discussed here. The tables in this chapter summarize all the oxide films formed by laser induced mechanisms that have been reported in the literature. The wider range of different techniques encompassed in these processes will be described in the following Chapters 5 and 6), which deal with insulator formation via laser induced phase changes, and laser assisted deposition. Our attention will not be restricted to dielectric layers for silicon technology, although this is where most attention has been focused; the formation of insulating layers on other semiconducting materials and metals, will also be discussed. These latter areas have enormous potential for advancing the expanding optoelectronic processing capabilities as well as localized surface hardening and protection for micromechanical applications.