Patent US869058A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4293589A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Process for high pressure oxidation of silicon

Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
•
Filing: 1980-10-01
•
Granted: 1981-10-06
•
Expires: 2000-10-01
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A process for high pressure oxidation of silicon comprising the steps of inserting silicon wafers and an oxidizing substance into a quartz capsule sealing the quartz capsule gas-tightly by fusing, and heating the quartz capsule to generate a high pressure oxidizing atmosphere therein and to form an oxide film on the silicon wafers without a flow of the oxidizing atmosphere. In a case where water is used as the oxidizing substance, the water is frozen and the inside space of the quartz capsule is exhausted before the sealing operation. Furthermore, in a case where an oxidizing gas, e.g. oxygen gas, is used as the oxidizing substance, if the pressure of the gas is higher than the ambient pressure, the quartz capsule is cooled to decrease the gas pressure to a pressure below the ambient pressure before the sealing operation.

Inventors

  • 👤 Mikio Takagi
  • 👤 Mamoru Maeda
  • 👤 Hajime Kamioka

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 21:03
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/63; H10P14/6302; H10P14/6304; H10P14/6306; H10P14/6308; H10P14/6309; C; C30; C30B; C30B33/00; C30B33/005; H10P14/6322

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim 93 words
A process for high pressure oxidation of silicon with high uniformity in the thickness of the oxide film, said process comprising the steps of: spacing silicon wafers apart from each other in a quartz capsule in the form of a tube with one end closed; feeding a predetermined pressure of an oxidizing gas into said quartz capsule; sealing said quartz capsule gas-tightly by fusing; and heating said quartz capsule to an elevated temperature to generate a high pressure oxidizing atmosphere therein and to form said high uniformity oxide film on said silicon wafers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 93 words
A process for high pressure oxidation of silicon with high uniformity in the thickness of the oxide film, said process comprising the steps of: spacing silicon wafers apart from each other in a quartz capsule in the form of a tube with one end closed; feeding a predetermined pressure of an oxidizing gas into said quartz capsule; sealing said quartz capsule gas-tightly by fusing; and heating said quartz capsule to an elevated temperature to generate a high pressure oxidizing atmosphere therein and to form said high uniformity oxide film on said silicon wafers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 26 words
A process according to claim 1 said oxidizing gas comprising a gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 34 words
A process according to claim 2 comprising adding a gas selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid gas and a chlorine gas of from 0.1 to 10 vol % into said oxidizing gas.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 2, said oxidizing gas comprising dry oxygen gas.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 15 words
A process according to claim 1 comprising evacuating said quartz capsule before said feeding step.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 32 words
A process according to claim 1, said sealing operation comprising the steps of inserting a quartz plug into said quartz capsule and fusing said quartz capsule and plug gas-tightly by a flame.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 40 words
A process according to claim 6, said feeding step resulting in said oxidizing gas having higher than ambient pressure in said capsule, said process comprising the step of cooling said oxidizing gas with a cooling agent before said sealing step.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process of claim 7, said cooling agent comprising liquid nitrogen.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process of claim 6, said flame comprising an oxyhydrogen flame.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 28 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein said elevated temperature is from 500° to 1200° C. and said generated pressure is from 1 to 15 kg/cm 2 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 18 words
The process of claim 10, said heating step comprising heating to a temperature from 800° to 1000° C.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 21 words
The process of claim 10 or 11, said heating step comprising generating said pressure from 2 to 10 kg/cm 2 .
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 25 words
A process according to claim 1 said heating step comprising forming said oxide film to form a gate oxide film of an MOS semiconductor device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 28 words
A process according to claim 1 said spacing step comprising standing said silicon wafers on edge on a quartz holder at intervals of from 2 to 10 mm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 22 words
The process of claim 1 comprising forming said oxide on said wafers to have said uniformity in thickness of at least ±2%.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 44 words
The process of claim 1 comprising placing at least 50 of said wafers in said quartz capsule at intervals in the range from 2 to 10 mm, and forming said oxide on said wafers to have said uniformity in thickness of at least ±2%.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3047438A Cited
US3526205A Cited
US3984267A Cited
US4002512A Cited
US4139658A Cited
US4167915A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1984-10-05 1985-04-06 1985-10-06 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1988-10-05 1989-04-06 1989-10-06 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1992-10-05 1993-04-06 1993-10-06 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag