Investigating the time evolution of oxidation process in silicon wafers by the ERD method

A method for analysis and profiling of light elements by recoil atoms in heavy ion beams have been described in an earlier paper. Further development of this method was presented in two subsequent papers. In these papers it was shown that the beam monitoring problem can be solved by using beam ions substantially heavier than the atoms of the probe to be analyzed. Formulas and calculations needed for quantitative profiling of oxygen in a silicon wafer were presented by us in a recent work. In the present contribution results concerning the possibility of investigation of oxidation kinetics in silicon by the ERD method are presented. The measurements were performed at the Tandem accelerator in Bucharest, by using an 80 MeV 63 Cu beam. The results obtained for three samples with oxidation times of 1, 2 and 3 hours are presented. The differences in profiles are remarkable for these three cases. Results of this kind will help to understand more deeply the oxidation processes in silicon wavers. (authors)