Oxygen partial pressure dependence of the fixed surface-state charge QSS due to thermal oxidation of n- (100) silicon

The fixed surface-state charge QSS has been determined for (100) n-type silicon oxidized in different partial pressures of oxygen (pO2). It has been found that the QSS is directly proportional to pO2 and is given by QSS×10−10= (14.1±12.7) pO2+(5.44±0.78) in the pO2 range 0.1–1.0 where pO2 is the partial pressure of oxygen in the oxygen-nitrogen mixture. The results are discussed in view of the concentration of the excess silicon present in silicon near the oxide-silicon interface and its assumed relationship to the length of oxidation-induced stacking faults in silicon.