Defect generation and gettering during rapid thermal processing

The authors present results showing that deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) is particularly efficient in identifying the origin of rapid thermal processing (RTP) related defects. It was found that defects are mostly related to residual impurities present in the as-grown silicon wafers or unintentionally introduced during high-temperature processing steps. It was shown, in particular, that these impurities can be thermally annealed out or neutralized by a hydrogenation process. In addition, the authors demonstrated that these impurities can be swept out of the active region of the device by a gettering effect during the RTP which is similar to that occurring in a classical thermal treatment