Silicon oxidation process variables

Process Variables in Oxidation and Oxide Structure. Oxide Structure. The basic structural unit of thermally grown Si02 is a silicon atom surrounded tetrahedrally by four oxygen atoms. These tetrahedra are joined together at their corners by oxygen bridges to form the quartz network. In the amorphous structure, a tendency to form the characteristic rings with six silicon atoms exists. 

Process Variables. The thermal oxidation process is a direct function of process variables, including the condition of the silicon surface. The following are important factors that affect thermal oxidation ... 

Specihcally with regard to the pyrolysis of plastics, new patents have been filed recently containing variable degrees of process description and equipment detail. For example, a process is described for the microwave pyrolysis of polymers to their constituent monomers with particular emphasis on the decomposition of poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). A comprehensive list is presented of possible microwave-absorbents, including carbon black, silicon carbide, ferrites, barium titanate and sodium oxide. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of apparatus to perform the process at different scales are presented [120]. Similarly, Patent US 6,184,427 presents a process for the microwave cracking of plastics with detailed descriptions of equipment. However, as with some earlier patents, this document claims that the process is initiated by the direct action of microwaves initiating free-radical reactions on the surface of catalysts or sensitizers (i.e. microwave-absorbents) [121]. Even though the catalytic pyrolysis of plastics does involve free-radical chain reaction on the surface of catalysts, it is unlikely that the microwaves on their own are responsible for their initiation. 

The complexity of the system implies that many phenomena are not directly explainable by the basic theories of semiconductor electrochemistry. The basic theories are developed for idealized situations, but the electrode behavior of a specific system is almost always deviated from the idealized situations in many different ways. Also, the complex details of each phenomenon are associated with all the processes at the silicon/electrolyte interface from a macro scale to the atomic scale such that the rich details are lost when simplifications are made in developing theories. Additionally, most theories are developed based on the data that are from a limited domain in the multidimensional space of numerous variables. As a result, in general such theories are valid only within this domain of the variable space but are inconsistent with the data outside this domain. In fact, the specific theories developed by different research groups on the various phenomena of silicon electrodes are often inconsistent with each other. In this respect, this book had the opportunity to have the space and scope to assemble the data and to review the discrete theories in a global perspective. In a number of cases, this exercise resulted in more complete physical schemes for the mechanisms of the electrode phenomena, such as current oscillation, growth of anodic oxide, anisotropic etching, and formation of porous silicon. 

Organo-metallic compounds contained in the feed will be decomposed and the metals will be retained on the catalyst, thus decreasing its activity. Since metals are normally not removable by oxidative regeneration, once metals have poisoned a catalyst, its activity cannot be restored. Therefore, metals content of the feedstock is a critical variable that must be carefully controlled. The particular metals which usually exist in vacuum gas oil type feeds are naturally occurring nickel, vanadium and arsenic as well as some metals which are introduced by upstream processing or contamination such as lead, sodium, silicon and phosphorous. Iron naphthenates are soluble in oil and will be a poison to the catalyst. Iron sulfide as corrosion product is normally not considered a poison to the catalyst and is usually omitted when referring to total metals. 

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