Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.85, No.8, 2049-2055, 2002
Oxidation of silicon and silicon carbide in ozone-containing atmospheres at 973 K
The oxidation behavior of a silicon wafer, chemically vapor-deposited SiC, and single-crystal SiC was investigated in an oxygen-2%-7% ozone gas mixture at 973 K. The thickness of the oxide film that formed during oxidation was measured by ellipsometry. The oxidation rates in the ozone-containing atmosphere were much higher than those in a pure oxygen atmosphere. The parabolic oxidation kinetics were observed for both silicon and SiC. The parabolic rate constants varied linearly with the ozone-gas partial pressure. Inward diffusion of atomic oxygen formed by the dissociation of ozone gas through the SiO2 film apparently was the rate-controlling process.