A layer near the wafer surface with few defects such as oxygen precipitates, made by out-diffusing oxygen during heat treatment. Devices are built in this layer while precipitates deeper inside provide gettering.
Field: Silicon wafers
Annealing above 1100 °C drives oxygen out of the near-surface region, creating a denuded zone (DZ) tens of µm deep free of precipitates.
Heat treatment of a wafer diffuses oxygen out from near the…Annealing Gettering RTP (rapid thermal processing) Crystal orientation Czochralski (CZ) method FZ method (float zone) Ingot MCZ method (magnetic-field-applied CZ) Monitor wafer Necking