Si emission from the SiO2∕Si interface during the growth of SiO2 in the HfO2∕SiO2∕Si structure

Hf O 2 ∕ Si O 2 ∕ Si ( 001 ) structures were annealed in dry oxygen, and compositional depth profiles were measured by high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Growth of the interfacial SiO2 layer and simultaneous surface accumulation of Si were observed. The observed result indicates that silicon species are emitted from the SiO2∕Si interface to release the stress induced by oxidation as was predicted by recent theoretical studies.