Before revision: Atalla discovered that the formation of a thermally grown silicon dioxide ( SiO2 ) layer greatly reduced the concentration of electronic states at the silicon surface, and discovered the important quality of SiO2 films to preserve the electrical characteristics of p–n junctions and prevent these electrical characteristics from deteriorating by the gaseous ambient environment.
After revision: Atalla discovered that the formation of a thermally grown silicon dioxide ( ) layer greatly reduced the concentration of electronic states at the silicon surface, and discovered the important quality of films to preserve the electrical characteristics of p–n junctions and prevent these electrical characteristics from deteriorating by the gaseous ambient environment.