Kinetics of Rapid Thermal Oxidation

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Abstract
A model for rapid thermal oxidation (RTO) is presented which generalizes the initial growth enhancement factor recently derived by Murali and Murarka (1) for ultrathin oxides. In the RTO case, the enhancement factor is derived directly from the oxygen diffusion equation under nonsteady state conditions. The model correctly predicts that the initial high growth rate decreases with time as the oxide thickness increases sufficiently enough to resist oxygen diffusion into the region just below the reaction site. This condition is reached when the oxygen rich region is fully converted into an oxide layer. And, the initial enhanced oxidation rate happens during the time which the subsurface region is being converted. Experimental and simulation results are in good agreement in describing the thickness of this region to be on the order of 10–25Å for RTO temperatures in the 1050°–1200°C range. The final oxide thickness is shown to be dependent on whether the oxygen rich region exists or not. The model also describes the native oxide sensitivity and self‐limiting nature of the enhancement cycle of the RTO process.

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