Crude Estimates of Diffusivity and Supersaturation of Silicon Self-Interstitials Injected by Thermal Oxidation of Czochralski Silicon

A new approach based on the classical nucleation theory has been provided to estimate the diffusivity and the supersaturation of silicon self-interstitials ( I S i ). I S i injected through thermal oxidation at 1000°C is found to reach the half-depth of the 650-µm-thick wafer within 3 min. This finding is confirmed by the observation of the depth profiles of oxygen precipitates in the wafer subjected to rapid thermal annealing at 1000°C in O 2 for up to 5 min. The diffusivity of I S i and the supersaturation of I S i reaching the half-depth of the 650-µm-thick wafers after 3 min during oxidation at 1000°C are estimated to be 5.9×10 -6 cm 2 /s and about 6, respectively.