Anodic Oxidation of Hydrogen-Transferred Silicon-on-Insulator Layers

Abstract

The anodic oxidation rate of silicon-on-insulator films fabricated by hydrogen transfer is studied as a function of the temperature of subsequent annealing. It is established that the oxidation rate of transferred silicon-on-insulator films is five times lower compared to the oxidation rate of bulk single-crystal silicon samples. The oxidation rate increases, as the annealing temperature is elevated in the range 700–1100°C and as the depth of gradually removed anode-oxidized layers is increased. The results obtained in the study are attributed to an increase in the efficiencies of the anodic current and oxygen–silicon interatomic interaction due to the annealing of defects and due to release of hydrogen from the bound state, respectively. The formation of hydrogen bubbles in the surface region of silicon due to the diffusion of hydrogen, released in the process of the oxidation reaction, towards micropores in the silicon-on-insulator layer is detected.