Thermal oxidation

Thermal oxidation
Technology Details
Technology	Thermal processing
Equipment	List of Thermal processing equipment

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Thermal oxidation (Thermal processing) is a process used to grow a thin layer of oxide (SiO₂) on silicon semiconductor wafers.

Equipment

Tempress S3T1 - Dry Oxide

The Tempress S3T1 furnace tube is a CMOS clean horizontal furnace tube that is used for growing dry oxide.

Tempress S3T2- Wet Oxide

The Tempress S3T2 furnace tube is a CMOS clean horizontal furnace tube that is used for growing dry/wet/dry oxide.

Tempress S5T2 - Phosphorous Anneal Oxidation

The Tempress S5T2 furnace tube is a CMOS clean horizontal furnace tube that is used for growing dry oxide, on heavily doped phosphorous wafers.

Tempress S5T4 - Boron Anneal Oxidation

The Tempress S5T4 furnace tube is a CMOS clean horizontal furnace tube that is used for growing dry oxide, on heavily doped boron wafers.

Tempress S6T1 - Annealing

The Tempress S6T1 furnace tube is a metals allowed horizontal furnace tube that can be used for growing dry oxide.

Materials

Dry oxide
Wet oxide

Method of operation

The thermal oxidation process is performed in a hot walled quartz reactor, called a furnace tube. An oxidizing gas (oxygen) or steam (oxygen + hydrogen) is injected into the reactor which is heated to a high temperature, typically 800° to 1200°C. The high temperature allows oxygen to diffuse into the silicon substrate and react with it, forming silicon dioxide.

Parameters

Parameter 1

Examples of processing applications

Thermally grown silicon dioxide is very high quality compared to silicon dioxide deposited by other techniques. It is dense, exhibits high breakdown voltage, and can be uniform and free from impurities and pinhole defects. Thermal oxide is used for applications where these properties are needed, e.g. in MOS transistor gates, MOS capacitors, and field oxides.