Methods of heat treating silicon oxide films by irradiating ultra-violet light

A method of heat treating a silicon oxide film comprising the steps of:

• forming a silicon oxide film on a surface;
• introducing nitrogen into a chamber in which heat treatment is carried out;
• heating the silicon oxide film at a temperature of at least 300.degree. C. and not more than 700.degree. C. while the silicon oxide film is irradiated with ultraviolet light in a nitrogen atmosphere,
• introducing dinitrogen monoxide into the chamber after heating the silicon oxide film sufficiently to displace the nitrogen by dinitrogen monoxide;
• and
• irradiating an ultraviolet light onto the dinitrogen monoxide and a surface of the silicon oxide film at a temperature of 300 to 700.degree. C. in a dinitrogen monoxide atmosphere obtained by means of the aforementioned steps.
• wherein the surface of the silicon oxide film is nitrided by the irradiating of the ultraviolet light in the dinitrogen monoxide atmosphere.

A method of heat treating a silicon oxide film comprising the steps of:

• forming a silicon oxide film on a surface;
• introducing dinitrogen monoxide in a chamber in which heat treatment is carried out;
• irradiating a ultraviolet light onto the dinitrogen monoxide and a surface of the silicon oxide film at a temperature of 300 to 700.degree. C.
• wherein nitrogen is excited by the ultraviolet light and is kept in an excited state by the ultraviolet light, and the excited nitrogen is diffused into the silicon oxide film by heat attributed to the temperature used in said irradiating step, and
• wherein the surface of the silicon oxide film is nitrided by the irradiating step.

A method of heat treating a silicon oxide film comprising the steps of:

• forming a silicon oxide film on a surface;
• introducing dinitrogen monoxide into a chamber in which heat treatment is carried out;
• and
• irradiating an ultraviolet light onto the dinitrogen monoxide and a surface of the silicon oxide film in a dinitrogen monoxide atmosphere which has been obtained by means of the introducing step,
• wherein the surface of the silicon oxide film is nitrided by the irradiating step.

A method of heat treating a silicon oxide film comprising the steps of:

• forming a silicon oxide film on a surface;
• introducing nitrogen into a chamber in which heat treatment is carried out;
• heating the silicon oxide film at a temperature of at least 300.degree. C. and not more than 700.degree. C. while the silicon oxide film is irradiated with ultraviolet light in a nitrogen atmosphere,
• introducing dinitrogen monoxide into the chamber after heating the silicon oxide film sufficiently to displace the nitrogen by dinitrogen monoxide;
• and
• irradiating an ultraviolet light onto the dinitrogen monoxide and a surface of the silicon oxide film in a dinitrogen monoxide atmosphere obtained by means of the aforementioned steps,
• wherein the surface of the silicon oxide film is nitrided by the irradiating step.