Oxidation characteristics of heavily phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon films and single crystal silicon substrates are investigated in a wet oxygen ambient over the temperature range 700~176 based on the linear-parabolic rate law. Polysilicon, undoped or uniformly doped with phosphorus of 1.1 X 1019-2.2 X 102i cm-~ by diffusion drive-in or ion implantation, is studied in comparison with lightly doped or heavily doped (100), (110), and (111) faces of silicon substrates. Phosphorus concentrations greater than 1 • 102o cm -8 cause a significant increase in oxidation rates. Above 1 X 1021 cm -3, however, oxidation rates tend to become saturated. A very rapid oxidation in the initial stage of oxidation is observed. This initial oxide does not fit the linear-parabolic rate law. The resistivity of the phosphorus-doped polysilicon is minimized at 5 X 10-4 ~-cm for a phosphorus concentration of around 6 X 1020 cm -g. The initial resistivity remains almost constant after reduction of the polysilicon thickness by oxidation. In addition, no evidence of enhanced oxidation along the grain boundaries is observed.

The effects of light irradiation on crystal growth were investigated in the vapor epitaxial growth of silicon. It was observed that the activation energy of crystal growth decreased with light irradiation. The magnitude of the decrease was 2.1 kcal/mole under the typical experimental condition in an r f heating reactor. Crystal growth was carried out at a temperature lower than that used in the conventional epitaxial method, and the crystal quality of the grown layers was found to be better in the case with light irradiation than that without irradiation. The above results suggest that light irradiation techniques can be used for reducing the degradation of impurity distribution by decreasing the growth temperature. At present, selective crystal growth according to an irradiation pattern can be realized. It is expected that epitaxial growth with light irradiation can be applied to a selective growth process.

Silicon dioxide growth in an oxygen plasma is investigated using newly developed microwave discharge equipment with electron cyclotron resonance. It is found that the plasma oxidation kinetics can be explained by the Cabrera‐Mott model, in which the drift motion of ions is assumed, rather than by the Deal‐Grove thermal oxidation model. The drift motion of oxygen ions across the oxide film under the influence of self‐bias in the plasma is considered to be the plasma oxidation mechanism. Infrared absorption and etch‐rate measurements reveal that the physical properties of plasma oxidized SiO2 at 600°C are structurally quite comparable to those of thermally oxidized SiO2 .

The stress in thin films of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) glass on Si substrates was measured by the Newton-ring method. The CVD films studied were Silane-oxidized SiO2, phosphosilicate glass and borosilicate glass deposited at 400°–450°C. Stress reduction due to moisture absorption was observed in the CVD films, but it was not observed in the sputtered SiO2 and the thermally grown SiO2 films. The initial tensile stress in the CVD films changed into compressive stress after heat treatments at 600°–900°C. By measuring the stress at elevated temperatures, the intrinsic stress was reduced from the total stress. From the thermal stress measurement, the thermal-expansion coefficient and the elastic constant of the CVD glass films were estimated.

The correlation between the dislocation generation and the stress in the (100) Si substrate surface completely covered with CVD Si3N4 films is investigated in relation to the film deposition and subsequent annealing conditions. The stress in the Si3N4 films deposited at 940°C at the NH3 flow rate of 1000 cc/min, when measured at room temperature, is tensile with 1.2–1.8×1010 dyn/cm2, and straight dislocations along two sets of [011] and [011̄] directions are formed in the Si surfaces after heat treatments at temperatures above 1050°C. The stress is small when the films are deposited at the small NH3 flow rate and high deposition temperatures. The interfacial stress generating the dislocations is found to be the inherent intrinsic stress produced during the deposition of Si3N4 film. Some characters of generated dislocations are described.