Interstitial oxygen reduction in silicon at thermal donor temperatures

Interstitial oxygen reduction in silicon wafers with a range of initial oxygen and carbon concentration annealed at 450, 475 and 500 degrees celsius were investigated. The results showed that the oxygen loss rate scaled at the fifth power of oxygen concentration for the silicon wafers annealed below 500 degrees celsius.The emission of silicon interstitials accompanied the formation of large clusters. Higher temperatures and larger carbon concentrations effectively reduced the strain barrier and allowed the formation of stable O3 clusters.