Patent ID: 7015111

Claim:
A method used during the formation of a semiconductor device comprising: implanting a first region of a semiconductor material with a dopant to a first concentration and implanting a second region of the semiconductor material with the dopant to a second concentration, wherein the first concentration is greater than the second concentration; and exposing the first and second regions of the semiconductor material to an oxidizing ambient comprising: a partial pressure of steam, wherein the partial pressure of steam is proportional to an oxidation ratio of the first region to the second region, and wherein the oxidation ratio is greater than one and variable with variations in the oxidizing ambient; a temperature of between about 700° C. and about 1100° C.; a hydrogen gas (H 2 ) flow rate of between about 0.01 SLM and about 20 SLM; an oxygen gas (O 2 ) flow rate of between about 0.001 SLM and about 5 SLM; and a volumetric ratio of H 2 O vapor to H 2 gas of between about 0.05 to about 0.15.