Optical measurements of oxide films on silicon

The optical constants of oxide films formed by heating single-crystal silicon specimens were measured. The measurements were carried out in a range of 300° to 1000°C. The thickness and refractive indices of the oxide films were determined by the polarimetric method. In the measured temperature interval the oxidation process can be divided into three groups. In the first range, from 300° to 560°C, no oxidation of the silicon surface was observed. In the second interval, from 560° to 950°C, the oxidation of silicon proceeded according to the linear oxidation law. At temperatures from 950° to 1000°C the thickness of the oxide films increased with the square root of the heating time according to the parabolic oxidation law.