The supersaturation of interstitials, during oxidation in pyrogenic steam at 900 or 1000C, was deduced by measuring the enhancement of P diffusion (table 88). At 900C, the supersaturation during steam oxidation was considerably lower than that observed during dry oxidation at the same growth rate. Also, the interstitial supersaturation varied as the square root of the oxidation rate. At 1000C, the interstitial supersaturation was similar to that observed in dry O2. The interstitial concentration exhibited only a ¼-power dependence upon the oxidation rate. It was found that the annealing (in an inert ambient), of oxide which had been deposited at low temperatures, resulted in an enhanced P diffusivity.

Interstitial Supersaturation during Oxidation of Silicon in Steam Ambients. N.Jeng, S.T.Dunham: Journal of Applied Physics, 1992, 72[5], 2049-53

Table 87

Diffusivity of P in Si