Nucleation of Oxygen Precipitates in a Quenched Czochralski Silicon Crystal

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe have studied the nucleation of oxygen precipitates in Czochralski (Cz) Si crystal quenched from high temperature (1390°C). We observed that the oxygen precipitation was enhanced by the quenching treatment. We found the density of precipitates in the quenched crystal depended on quenching temperature and that nuclei for oxygen precipitates were introduced during quenching. We studied these nuclei using infrared absorption (IR) and positron annihilation techniques. In order to clarify the state of the nuclei, the quenched specimens were irradiated with 3-MeV electrons at a dose of 1×1018e/cm2 and vacancy-oxygen complexes were introduced. Positron lifetime spectra and IR absorption spectra for these specimens were measured as a function of isochronal annealing temperature. From the annealing behavior of the vacancy-oxygen complexes, it was found that oxygen clusters are introduced by the quenching and these clusters are the nuclei for the enhanced precipitation of the quenched Si crystal.