Silicon oxide layer reduced in dangling bonds through treatment with hypofluorous acid, process for growing silicon oxide layer and method for deactivating dangling bonds therein

Abstract

Dangling bonds of silicon atoms tend to take place in silicon oxide grown on a silicon wafer due to oxygen deficiency; hypofluorous acid is introduced into the silicon oxide so that the hypofluorous acid reaches the dangling bonds through diffusion; the hypofluorous acid is decomposed into fluorine atoms and hydroxyl groups, and the fluorine atoms and hydroxyl groups deactivate the dangling bonds of silicon atoms; even if electric charges are injected into the silicon oxide, the deactivation is never broken so that the silicon oxide layer is stable and highly reliable.