Kinetics of Oxide Growth During Reoxidation of Lightly Nitrided Oxides

The change in dielectric thickness during light nitridation and reoxidation of thin thermally grown oxides has been measured using both optical and electrical techniques. The results of these measurements are shown to be consistent. No change in dielectric thickness is observed during nitridation. The results indicate that the thickness increase during the reoxidation following nitridation obeys a universal curve which depends only on the ratio of reoxidation time to nitridation time. A simple physical explanation is that the nitridation of the dielectric results in a barrier to additional oxide growth. The amount of time required for the reoxidation to overcome the barrier increases with increasing nitridation time.