Atomic force microscope oxidation lithography was used to study the effects of low-energy ion beams on a silicon substrate. The oxygen containing layer formed by H+ ion beam irradiation was characterized by Kelvin probe force microscopy. Giant oxide features with heights over 100 nm were fabricated by cathodic oxidation. The growth rate of the oxide features increased on the H+ ion-irradiated substrate and the etching selectivity was observed for individual oxide features. The density and oxygen concentration of the oxide features were affected by the chemical etching process. The mechanism of cathodic oxidation by Ohmic current was proposed. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.