A silicon wafer which has DZ layers formed on both sides thereof by heat treatment in an atmosphere of reducing gas (such as hydrogen) or rare gas (such as argon) with a specific temperature profile for heating, holding, and cooling, and which also has a gettering site of BMD in the bulk inside the DZ layer. A silicon wafer which has a silicon epitaxial layer formed on one side thereof. The DZ layer and the silicon epitaxial layer contain dissolved oxygen introduced into their surface parts, with the concentration and distribution of dissolved oxygen properly controlled. Introduction of oxygen into the surface part is accomplished by heat treatment and ensuing rapid cooling in an atmosphere of oxygen-containing gas.
1. A method of processing a silicon wafer formed from a single-crystal silicon ingot grown by pulling, the method comprising:
(A) diffusing oxygen outward from a surface layer of the silicon wafer by heat-treating the silicon wafer in a reducing gas or inert gas or a mixture thereof; and
(B) injecting dissolved oxygen to the surface of the silicon wafer by further heating-treating the silicon wafer and subsequently rapid-cooling the silicon wafer in an oxygen-containing gas,
wherein said (B) comprises isothermal heat treatment in the oxygen-containing gas and subsequent rapid cooling in the oxygen-containing gas in a rapid-heating-and-cooling apparatus, and wherein said rapid-cooling has a cooling rate that ranges from 10° C/min to 100° C/min,
wherein the silicon wafer after being processed in steps (A) and (B), comprises:
a denuded zone (DZ) layer formed adjacent a surface of the silicon wafer and having a dissolved oxygen density of about 1×10 17 atoms/cm 3 to about 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 ; and
a bulk layer having bulk micro defects (BMD) density of about 5×10 8 pieces/cm 3 to about 5×10 9 pieces/cm 3 .
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the BMD density is no higher than 2.5×10 7 pieces/cm 3 in a region of the silicon wafer from the surface to a depth of 2 μm.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of dissolved oxygen has a range of 1.2 to 6.0×10 17 atoms/cm 3 in the region from the surface to a depth of 2μm of the silicon wafer.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of dissolved oxygen has a range of 2.8 to 5.2×10 17 atoms/cm 3 in the region from the surface to a depth of 9μm of the silicon wafer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inert gas comprises at least one of nitrogen or argon.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing gas comprises hydrogen.