ABSTRACTThe application of denuding, nucleation, and intrinsic gettering in CMOS integrated circuit processes is described. Specifically, it will be demonstrated that an initial oxidizing step, as many manufacturers are using, seriously retards the effectiveness of any subsequent nucleation step or procedure. The results of a large number of one-step, two-step, and three-step heat treatments are summarized and design criteria for controlled oxygen precipitation in integrated circuit fabrication are described. Two-step heat treatments, without denuding and with the nucleation step first, have been used to induce precipitates close to the surface of CMOS wafers and DLTS measurements made to deduce the effectiveness of intrinsic gettering and the electrical characteristics of precipitation induced microdefects.
From Design to Tape-out in SCL 180 nm CMOS Integrated Circuit Fabrication Technology
