AbstractEffects of ion-irradiation on oxidation of silicon at low temperatures (130°C) in an argon and oxygen mixed plasma excited by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) interaction are investigated. First, dependence of energy and flux of incident ions on the flow rate and the microwave power is evaluated. It is shown that the flow rate and the microwave power are key parameters for controlling the energy and the flux of incident ions, respectively. Second, growth kinetics of the oxide films are studied. The growth rate depends on the energy and the flux of argon ions irradiated to the substrate, and the growth thickness increases proportionally to the root square of the oxidation time. Thus, the growth rate is limited by diffusion of oxidants enhanced by irradiation with argon ions. The effect of substrate bias on oxidation characteristics is also discussed. The electrical properties of the oxide films are improved by increasing the bias. The improvement is due to the reduction of damage at the surface of the substrate induced by the irradiation.
