Chemiluminescent reaction of SiF2 with fluorine and the etching of silicon by atomic and molecular fluorine

The homogeneous reaction between F or F2 and SiF2, the latter formed by the high-temperature reaction of solid silicon with SiF4, is accompanied by an intense chemiluminescent ’’flame’’ with the spectrum previously observed during silicon etching by F and F2. This experiment provides direct confirmatory evidence that chemiluminescence from both reactions arises from the homogeneous reaction between SiF2 and fluorine atoms or molecules.