Abstract
The present invention discloses a method of oxidizing a nitride film on a conductive substrate comprising the following steps. First, a conductive substrate is provided, and a nitride film is formed on the main surface of the conductive substrate by performing film deposition process or directly nitridating the surface region of the conductive substrate. Then, a local electrode terminal (such as a conductive probe of a scanning-probe microscope) is provided, and a strong electric field is locally generated between the electrode terminal and the conductive substrate in an oxidizing environment, wherein the strong electric field passes through the nitride film, thereby oxidizing the nitride film region passed by the electric field. The method of oxidizing a nitride film according to the present invention can be applied to define patterns on a nitride film, to record information as memory media, and to form growth templates for the use in chemical selective formation processes.