Silicon surface oxidation device and method of fabricating optical waveguide substrate by the device

Abstract

A silicon surface oxidation device utilizes a steam generator in which heated water is barely in contact with the members of the device, steam with no contamination is efficiently generated, and the silicon surface can be oxidized through relatively large thickness by using a steam oxidation method which is simple and high in safety. The steam generator has a feed port for pure water which flows along a surface in a chamber, an oscillator for oscillating a microwave toward the surface, a steam exit port for sending out the steam of the pure water generated from the surface by the microwave, and a discharge port for the pure water flowing along the surface. A heating furnace is connected to the steam exit port, and silicon placed in the heating furnace is oxidized by the steam generated by the microwave.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.