Reaction of Oxygen with Si(111) and (100): Critical Conditions for the Growth of SiO2

The reactions of oxygen with the clean Si(111) and (100) surfaces have been studied at high temperatures (890°–1150°C) for oxygen pressures between . The critical conditions involving oxygen pressure and substrate temperature which are necessary for the growth of to occur on these Si surfaces have been determined, and are found to be independent of substrate orientation and doping type under the conditions studied. The observed critical conditions for growth are consistent with a theoretical model which focuses on the kinetics of cluster growth and on the thermodynamics of the competing etching reaction leading to production of . Evidence is presented for epitaxial growth on Si(100) of cubic , β‐cristobalite.