Interface damage and oxidation behavior are compared for electron cyclotron resonance plasma oxidation of silicon for two different plasma system configurations: a conventional system where the plasma is generated and extracted normal to the Si wafer surface, and another system where the plasma is made uniform by developing the magnetic field parallel to the substrate using permanent magnets outside the chamber and antennas inside, viz. distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) plasma. Samples were compared using spectroscopic ellipsometry, nuclear reaction analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Less damage was observed in the DECR plasma configuration, but otherwise the systems were comparable.