Characterization of oxygen precipitates in Czochralski silicon by imaging SIMS

This paper presents a three-dimensional characterization of oxygen defects in Czochralski-silicon (CZ) by 3D-SIMS using a camera based imaging system. Different manufacturing processes yielding a variation in size and distribution of oxygen precipitates are monitored by imaging SIMS and conventional depth profiling. Emphasis is laid on the characterization of the precipitation behavior governed by different annealing processes. The limitations of 3D SIMS for oxygen defect imaging are studied. Sputter induced microroughening of the crater bottom, investigated by SEM, is shown to be strongly correlated with defect densities caused by oxygen precipitates.