Oxidation and diffusion

What is the treatment called that introduces plasma-generated nitrogen into the surface of a thin gate oxide?

  1. ADrive-in
  2. BCMP
  3. CPlasma nitridation
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Answer: C. Plasma nitridation

In plasma nitridation, active nitrogen produced in a nitrogen plasma is introduced near the surface of the oxide, converting it to oxynitride (SiON). Compared with thermal nitridation, it works at lower temperatures and concentrates nitrogen near the surface, suppressing boron penetration and raising the dielectric constant without degrading the interface.

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More Oxidation and diffusion questions

  1. When etched in the same dilute hydrofluoric acid, how do the etch rates of thermal oxide and CVD oxide generally compare?
  2. Which defect grows when excess interstitial silicon generated by oxidation is injected into the silicon during thermal oxidation?
  3. If the thermal oxidation temperature is raised, how does the oxide thickness obtained in the same time change?
  4. In LOCOS (local oxidation), what is the phenomenon called in which oxide encroaches like a bird's beak under the edge of the nitride mask?
  5. What is an advantage of performing thermal oxidation in a high-pressure oxidizing atmosphere?