Oxidation of Ge-implanted silicon

The steam oxidation rate of silicon can be increased substantially by the implantation of Ge prior to oxidation. This effect is most pronounced for thin oxides. During steam oxidation, the implanted Ge is completely rejected from the growing oxide and forms an intermediate layer between silicon and SiO/sub 2/. Segregated Ge is epitaxial with the underlying silicon and leads to enhanced oxidation of the silicon. Enhanced oxidation is shown to arise because Ge increases the interface kinetics associated with oxide formation.