Thermal Oxidation of Si Nanoparticles Grown by Plasma-Enhanced CVD

Abstract

ABSTRACTNanoparticles of amorphous silicon were grown by plasma-enhanced CVD. Their high hydrogen content has a great influence on the oxidation kinetics. Oxidation experiments done in a thermo-balance show that during a heating ramp under oxygen the onset of oxidation shifts to higher temperatures when hydrogen content is reduced by annealing. Apparently this higher oxidation rate of the as-grown particles is due to the great density of dangling bonds that are left behind just after the hydrogen is desorpted. This fact is supported by analyzing the oxidation dynamics under isothermal conditions. At lower temperature, when oxidation takes place just after hydrogen desorption, the oxidation transient begins with a finite slope which indicates that oxidation is not diffusion controlled. On the other hand, at higher temperatures, activation energy of the parabolic rate constant indicates that the oxide layer formed is less protective than the oxide layer formed on crystalline silicon.