Plasma assisted oxidation, anodization, and nitridation of silicon

Plasma-assisted oxidation, anodization, and nitridation of silicon have bee n performed in microwave, rf, and de plasmas with a variety of reactor conf igurations and a range of plasma densities. Compared to thermal processes a t equivalent substrate temperatures, film growth rates are accelerated by t he plasma-enhanced generation of reactive chemical species or by the presen ce of electric fields to aid charged-particle transport during plasma proce sses. Oxidation, anodization, and nitridation kinetics, mechanisms, and fil m properties attainable with plasma enhancement are discussed for crystalli ne, polycrystalline, and amorphous silicon layers and for silicon-germanium alloys. The use of these plasma methods for surface and interface modifica tion of silicon-based materials and devices is described.