A Comparison of Silicon Germanium Oxide Growth and the Deal-Grove Model

Authors

  • Ashley Nicole Gilbank McMaster University

Abstract

Silicon germanium and its potential in silicon photonics is an area of interest. The growth of thermal oxide on pure silicon is a well understood phenomenon, with the Deal-Grove model being able to accurately describe it for flat surfaces. The model for SiGe oxidation growth is not as well understood, due to the more complex factors involved. This study attempts to give a qualitative comparison between SiGe oxide growth and the Deal-Grove model for better understanding of what rates are dominating at which times and oxide thicknesses. The data collected in this study was collected for the purpose of studying the germanium profile in the SiGe after oxidation, but for this study the oxide thicknesses will be investigated. Due to large uncertainties and an insufficient amount of data points to draw definite conclusions, the main purpose of this study will be to act as a precursor to a more in depth study, and the areas that are found to need improvements will be looked at and improved for the next study. The results found in this study support the expectation that the SiGe growth is more rapid than pure silicon, and finds that the rate levels off as the oxide becomes thicker in a possibly parabolic manner, similarly to the Deal-Grove model.

References

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Si1

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018)

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Published

2018-01-16

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018): The McMaster Journal of Engineering Physics

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Articles

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