Reduction of Silicon Vidicon Dark Current by HCI Oxidation

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The silicon vidicon dark current was markedly reduced by forming the target oxide layer in a mixture of dry 02 and a small amount of HCI. Dark current of less than 0.6 nA, which is about ten times smaller than has ever been reported, was realized in a standard 1'' silicon vidicon. It was found that this dark current reduction was due to a decrease in the surface generation velocity and an increase in the carrier generation life time and that, in the low dark current targets, the bulk generation current was the major component of the dark current. Wafer annealings in nitrogen, performed after the oxidation or after the boron drive-in, were found useful in the HCI oxidized wafers for the reduction of dark current and spot-like images in the video display.