We report an investigation of rapid oxidation of silicon using a 126 nm excimer lamp at low pressures. Oxidation rates as high as 8 nm/min were achieved. Unlike thermal and high pressure oxidation processes, no saturated growth rate was observed for the oxidation times used. Furthermore, thickness up to 24 nm have been obtained, which are not possible with conventional thermal oxidation processes at temperature below 500 degreesC. The films are found by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to be stoichiometric in nature. I-V measurements from metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices fabricated using a 17 nm SiO2 layer showed that leakage current densities as low as 5 x 10(-8) A/cm(2) at an electric field of 1 MV/cm can be obtained in the as-grown films. Further properties of these films will be discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.