Vacancy-assisted oxygen precipitation phenomena in Si

The influence of vacancy concentration on oxygen nucleation/precipitation kinetics in CZ silicon has been studied. Vacancies have been injected into the wafer bulk by thermal nitridation of the surface. This treatment causes oxygen precipitation enhancement. Vacancy-.rich material is also characterized by a significant formation of oxygen precipitates at low temperatures, even in material in which the as-grown oxygen precipitates have been suppressed. Finally, experimental evidence is presented that vacancies are consumed during the nucleation process.