| abstract |
A particular embodiment involves the oxidation of hot monolithic silicon circuit substrates to grow thin silicon dioxide films (<500 A° thick) free of "nitrogenous micro-defects", using pre-oxidation and post-oxidation sequences where the Nitrogen content (as the atmosphere) is reduced, if not eliminated, to avoid problems created by such micro-defects, especially degradation of breakdown voltage across the oxide. N 2 is preferably replaced by Argon which generates no such micro-defects. |