Three-Dimensional Simulation of Thermal Oxidation and the Influence of Stress

Abstract. The thermal oxidation process of three-dimensional structures is analyzed with our oxidation model. This comprehensive model takes into account that the diffusion of oxidants, the chemical reaction, and the volume increase occur simultaneously in a so-called reactive layer which has a spatial finite width, in contrast to the sharp interface between silicon and dioxide in the conventional formulation. Our oxidation model also includes the coupled stress dependence of the oxidation process because the influence of stress is shown to be considerable. Only the simulation of stress dependent oxidation leads to results which agree with the real physical behavior.