Silicon interstitial absorption during thermal oxidation at 900 °C by extended defects formed via silicon implantation

Extended defect damage created by high-dose silicon implants is used to study the interaction between extended defects and silicon interstitials introduced via thermal oxidation. A buried epitaxial layer of boron was used as an interstitial monitor, and a layer of extended defects was formed between the surface and the buried layer via silicon implants. Samples were oxidized at 900 °C in wet O2, and the amount of oxidation-enhanced diffusion was measured. For a silicon implant of 1×1013 cm−2, the enhancement was very similar in regions that had and had not been implanted. For an implant of 1×1015 cm−2, the enhancement was reduced in regions that had been implanted. The difference is explained by the absorption of the injected interstitials by a layer of extended defects.