Investigation of the Mechanical Strength of Hydrogen‐Annealed Czochralski Silicon Wafers

Abstract

The mechanical strength of hydrogen‐annealed Czochralski silicon wafers was investigated with emphasis on the generation of slip dislocations by oxide precipitates. Thermal stress, which was far larger than that generated in actual device processes, was applied to wafers after thermal simulation of a low‐temperature process (low‐temperature simulation) or a high‐temperature process (high‐temperature simulation). It was found that slip generation by oxide precipitates did not occur in the case of the low‐temperature simulation, while many slip dislocations were generated in the case of the high‐temperature simulation. The experimental results can be explained by the effect of precipitate size on slip generation. It was concluded that wafers have no mechanical strength problems during actual low‐temperature processes. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.