Oxidation and diffusion

What is the approximate breakdown field of high-quality thermal oxide (SiO2)?

  1. AAbout 10 MV/cm
  2. BAbout 10 V/cm
  3. CAbout 10 kV/cm
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Answer: A. About 10 MV/cm

The breakdown field of high-quality thermal oxide is about 10 MV/cm. For example, a 10 nm oxide would break down at about 10 V. Real devices operate at much lower fields to ensure long-term reliability.

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More Oxidation and diffusion questions

  1. Which method reacts hydrogen and oxygen near the wafer surface to form a high-quality thin oxide in a short time?
  2. What is the treatment called that introduces plasma-generated nitrogen into the surface of a thin gate oxide?
  3. When etched in the same dilute hydrofluoric acid, how do the etch rates of thermal oxide and CVD oxide generally compare?
  4. Which defect grows when excess interstitial silicon generated by oxidation is injected into the silicon during thermal oxidation?
  5. If the thermal oxidation temperature is raised, how does the oxide thickness obtained in the same time change?