Influence of Preoxidation Annealing on Stacking Fault Generation Due to Mechanical Damage on Silicon Surfaces

Abstract

Short preoxidation annealing in dry N2 has been found to be effective for the suppression of oxidation-induced stacking fault generation due to surface damage introduced by scratching and polishing of (001) silicon wafers. As the annealing temperature is increased, the stacking fault density decreases and reaches a minimum value at 1100°C, and then it rapidly increases. The decrease in fault density is attributed to a damage relaxation effect, and the increase is due to the formation of surface blotchiness. Electron microscopic observation has suggested that residual strain around a microcrack plays an important role in fault generation during oxidation.