Initial stages of SiC oxidation investigated by ion scattering and angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies

Initial stages of oxidation of single-crystal, Si-faced silicon carbide were investigated using ion scattering and angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The very first oxidation products are shown to be silicon oxycarbides (SiCxOy), while, for longer oxidation times, a mixture of SiCxOy and SiO2 is formed in the near-surface region of the growing oxide film. The composition of the near-surface region of such thin films is very similar to that reported in previous investigations for the near-interface region when thicker oxides films are grown on SiC.