Semiconductor etch and oxidation process

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WHEREIN PLURAL PROCESSES ARE SUCCESSIVELY ACCOMPLISHED IN A SINGLE FURNACE THE STEPS OF (A) RAISING SILICON SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM 900* C. TO 1,300*C. IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF HYDROGEN GAS, (B) ETCHING SAID SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL BY INTRODUCING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS INTO SAID FURNACE, (C) FLUSHING SAID HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS OUT OF SAID FURNACE WITH HYDROGEN GAS, (D) INTRODUCING A MIXTURE OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROGEN GASES INTO SAID FURNACE, (E) MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM 1,000*C. TO 1,250* C. TO ACCOMPLISH THE REACTION OF SAID CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROGEN GASES TO CARBON MONOXIDE GAS AND WATER VAPOR AT THE SURFACE OF SAID SEMICONDUCTOR, (F) CONTINUING THE CONDITIONS OF (E) ABOVE UNTIL SAID WATER VAPOR OXIDIZES SAID SEMICONDUCTOR TO A SELECTED DEPTH DETERMINED BY THE TEMPERATURE AND THE TIME INTERVAL OF PROCESSING ACCORDING TO STEP (E).