Generation Activity and Structural Defects in Near-Surface Silicon Layers

A correlation between the formation of regions of anomalous generation in MOS-structures of silicon and the lattice disturbances of its near-surface layer is studied using the method of relaxation of nonequilibrium capacitance in combination with metallography. It is found that these regions can be formed with a wide range of surface concentrations and charge carrier generation times depending on the oxidation time. The superposition of selective etching patterns and generation-time distribution of a preset wafer segment shows that the formation of regions of anomalous generation is due to the structural lattice disturbances revealed by the Sirtl-etchant as dome-like figures.