Dependence of nickel gettering on crystalline nature in as-grown Czochralski silicon wafer

The efficiency of nickel gettering in vacancy- and interstitial-silicon-dominant crystalline nature was studied using wafers cut along the axial direction of a CZ-grown silicon ingot grown with a variable v/G ratio. Six crystalline areas (V-rich, P-band, PV, PI, B-band, and I-rich) were present within one wafer. Nickel gettering efficiency was estimated before and after a typical NAND-flash-memory heat-treatment. With as-grown CZ silicon wafers, nickel gettering depends on the crystalline nature, i.e., nickel atoms are mainly gathered at oxygen precipitates in bulk at vacancy-dominant crystalline regions and at the surface of pure silicon in the interstitial-silicon-dominant crystal region (PI). Rapid thermal annealing of a CZ silicon wafer at 1175 °C for 10 s in Ar/NH3 mixture ambient completely erased the dependency of nickel gettering on the crystalline nature and demonstrated an excellent getting ability for nickel contamination via the relaxation gettering of oxygen precipitates.

► This paper clarifies nickel gettering behavior on the crystalline nature.
► Nickel gettering efficiency is estimated.
► Relaxation gettering of oxygen precipitates are analyzed.