Low Temperature Oxidation of Metals and Semiconductors

The growth of oxide films on metals and semiconductors at low temperatures has been interpreted using the Cabrera‐Mott theory which assumes a uniform oxide structure. Kinetic data taken from the literature were introduced into the Ghez integration of the Cabrera‐Mott equation. Results were found to correlate with a division of oxides into network formers, intermediates, and modifiers. The network formers and intermediates were best fit by inverse logarithmic kinetics (Cabrera‐Mott), while the modifiers appeared to follow direct logarithmic kinetics. Values of activation energy for ion movement, the number of potentially mobile ions, and the self‐induced voltage across the oxide have been derived for the network forming and intermediate oxides. These values are compared with those obtained from other experiments.