Effective gettering of gold in silicon at 900 °C by low-current corona discharge

The application of microampere level corona generated currents at elevated temperatures in an argon atmosphere was found to indicate a rapid segregation of dissolved Au impurities out of the bulk of intentionally Au-doped silicon wafers into the near surface regions on both sides of the wafers. Complete removal of the Au occurred in less than 15 min with a current of 5 μA at 900 °C. A ‘‘kick-out’’ mechanism due to the generation of Si interstitials is considered as a possible explanation for these results.