Modeling of stress-effects in silicon oxidation including the non-linear viscosity of oxide

A new set of models for the stress-effects on silicon-oxidation has been proposed and verified by rigorous numerical simulation. These models differ from previously proposed models[1] mainly through the use of a non-linear shear-stress dependent viscosity model for oxide. The resulting new set of models is shown to agree well with the experimental data of oxide thickness grown on both convex and concave cylindrical silicon structures. Relevant model parameters were extracted from simulation fit to the experimental results. The new set of models is also shown to be consistent with several oxidation phenomena. In particular, both the occurrence and the magnitude of the "intrinsic-stress" generated in planar silicon-oxidation can be explained by the shear-stress dependent viscosity model.