Native oxide growth on silicon

Abstract

Real surfaces of device type silicon wafers were investigated using Auger Electron Spectroscopy. Native oxides grow on Si surfaces after HF etching and further exposure to ambient. The chemical characteristics of the native oxide was compared with SiO₂ grown on Si. A mechanism for the oxide formation on Si during HF etching is presented. The implications of HF etching of Si surface in wafer processing and die removal from packages before failure analysis of devices are discussed. The results show that device gate oxides may be grown by simple etching.