Universal Theory of Si Oxidation Rate and Importance of Interfacial Si Emission

The essential role that Si atoms emitted from the interface play in determining the silicon-oxidation rate is theoretically pointed out, and a universal theory for the oxide growth rate taking account of the interfacial Si-atom emission is developed. Our theory can explain the oxide growth rate for the whole range of the oxide thickness without any empirical modifications, while the rate for an oxide thickness of less than 10 nm in dry oxidation cannot be explained with the Deal-Grove theory.