sacrificial oxide

# Sacrificial Oxide

A sacrificial oxide is deliberately formed and later removed; a screen oxide is named for its screening role, often during implantation.

## Connect the name to its role

Document whether this film is a target, mask, liner, electrode or temporary layer at the step being discussed. The same material can have different roles in different modules.

## Integration context

These roles can overlap when a screen oxide is subsequently stripped, but they are not universal synonyms. A sacrificial oxide can also protect or condition a surface during an intermediate operation. Its removal must preserve neighboring oxides that are intended to remain.

## What to verify

Identify why the oxide exists, whether it is temporary, and the required surface state after removal.

Before selecting removal conditions, identify all exposed neighboring materials and the amount of loss each can tolerate. Verify the result using the measurements appropriate to the structure, then check that the surface is suitable for the next deposition, contact or clean step.

## Related terminology

sacrificial oxide, Sac Ox, SACOX, SAC-OX, Screen Ox. Short abbreviations are local process vocabulary and can have other meanings; use the full module name when searching.

## Source and scope

[Thermal oxide growth and deposited films](https://www.nanofab.ualberta.ca/capabilities/thin-film-deposition/). The diagram is an original teaching schematic. Layer choices and process families describe an example rather than a universal manufacturing recipe.