Activation-energy analysis of structural relaxation during oxide-film growth on Si single-crystal wafers

The specificity of a (110)-oriented Si wafer during dry oxidation is reconfirmed by the activation-energy analysis of structural relaxation in the films during oxidation by comparing with the previously reported results of (100)- and (111)-oriented wafers. In addition, these results are compared with the activation energy associated with long-timescale structural relaxation accompanied by stress release—a scenario commonly known as “viscous flow” in the literature. (110)-oriented Si surfaces are important in applications of state-of-the-art electronic devices; they are now recognized to have unique properties that must be related to the structural relaxation phenomenon of the films. Thus, in this study, we propose a scheme for the structural relaxation in oxide films during the thermal process, accounting for different Si surface orientations and ambient differences during the oxidation.