ABSTRACTSilicon dioxide (SiO2) films were fabricated by microwave ECR plasma processing at 300°C, the range of the film thicknesses being 200 - 300 Å. Two groups of films were fabricated; group A with the substrates placed in a position directly facing the plasma so that the substrates as well as the on-growing films were subjected to bombardment of energetic particles produced in the plasma, and group B with the substrates placed in a processing chamber physically separated from the plasma chamber in order to prevent or suppress the damaging effects resulting from these energetic particle bombardment. It has been found that group A films are poor in both the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, possibly due to dust particles created by the gas phase reaction of SiH4 and ionic bombardment and radiation damage during film deposition. Group B films, on the other hands, exhibit good electronic properties. On the basis of their I-V and C-V characteristics, group B films yield an average breakdown strength of about 10 MV/cm, an oxide bulk charge density on the order of 1014 q/cm3 and an interface trap density on the order of 1011 cm−2 eV−1 which are approaching those of high quality thermally grown oxides and they are suitable for use as gate insulator for MOS devices.