AES/XPS Thickness measurement of the native oxide on single crystal Si wafers

The thickness determination of a native oxide film at the semi-conductor surface is the subject of this work. The study has been carried out on silicon wafers obtained by produ$\text{c}$tion plant and after different shaping operations. XPS and Auger spectroscopies have been used to evaluate and characterize the oxide layer. Five different methods of measurement, based on spectroscopic parameters proportional to the film width, are proposed. The results obtained show that Auger spectroscopy gives the simplest and the fastest method to measure the native oxide thickness routinely.