Highe quality silicon oxide having a plurality of monolayers is grown at a high temperature on a silicon substrate. A monolayer of silicon oxide is a single layer of silicon atoms and two oxygen atoms per silicon atom bonded thereto. The silicon oxide is etched one monolayer at a time until a desired thickness of the silicon layer is obtained. Each monolayer is removed by introducing a first gas to form a reaction layer on the silicon oxide. The gas is then purged. Then the reaction layer is activated by either another gas or heat. The reaction layer then acts to remove a single monolayer. This process is repeated until a desired amount of silicon oxide layer remains. Because this removal process is limited to removing one monolayer at a time, the removal of silicon oxide is well controlled. This allows for a precise amount of silicon oxide to remain.