On the impeded growth of oxide films on Si in N2O ambient

Growth kinetics of thin oxide films on silicon in nitrous oxide were invest igated in the very early stage of the process. It was found that the resist ance to oxidation reaches an almost stationary value for about 10 s at 1100 degrees C. The observation is explained by the incorporation of nitrogen a toms at the interface in the film, which impede the further growth.