Formation of high-density silicon dots on a silicon-on-insulator substrate

High-density and nanometer-scale Si dots were fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate by a non-lithography process, consisting of SiN island nucleation and subsequent Si etching-mode oxidation in a vacuum. It was found from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy that, during oxidation, the SiN islands serve as oxidation masks, and only bare Si regions are etched by oxygen, resulting in formation of Si dots. The lateral size and the height of Si dot are primarily determined by the SiN masks and thickness of the top Si layer, respectively. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved