Patent ID: 7589002

Claim:
A method of forming an oxygen- or nitrogen-terminated silicon nanocrystalline structure, which comprises a first step of forming a silicon film of 1 nm to 10 nm thickness composed of fine silicon crystals and amorphous silicon on a substrate and a second step of oxidizing or nitriding the formed silicon film with ions and radicals formed from an oxidizing gas or a nitriding gas to form the silicon nanocrystalline structure; wherein said second step comprises substeps of disposing the substrate provided with the silicon film in an oxidizing gas atmosphere or nitriding gas atmosphere within a plasma treatment chamber and then plasma-oxidizing or plasma-nitriding the substrate provided with the silicon film by applying a high frequency electric field to the oxidizing gas atmosphere or nitriding gas atmosphere, the method further comprising, a third step of etching the surface of the silicon film on the substrate subjected to said second step with an HF-based gas or with a molecular gas system containing fluorine; and a fourth step of oxidizing or nitriding the silicon film on the substrate subjected to the etching in an oxidizing gas atmosphere or nitriding gas atmosphere.