Method of treating silicon wafers to have intrinsic gettering and gate oxide integrity yield

A single crystal silicon wafer comprising two major, parallel surfaces, one of which is a front surface and one of which is a back surface, a central plane between the front surface and the back surface, a circumferential edge joining the front surface and the back surface, a front surface layer having a depth, D, measured from the front surface and toward the central plane, and a bulk region is between the front surface layer and the central plane, wherein the single crystal silicon wafer has a thickness between 500 micrometers and 1000 micrometers, and further wherein:

• the bulk region comprises oxygen precipitates at a density of at least about 1×108 cm−3 and a peak density of oxygen precipitates of at least about 1×109 cm−3, wherein the peak density is between 10 micrometers and about 100 micrometers from the front surface of the single crystal silicon wafer;
• the front surface layer comprises oxygen precipitates at a density of less than about 1×107 cm−3, wherein the depth, D, of the front surface layer is between about 1 micrometer and 10 micrometers;
• and
• the front surface has no gate oxide integrity pattern related crystal defect bands;
• wherein the bulk region comprises oxygen precipitates at a peak density of at least about 5×109 cm−3, and further wherein the peak density is at least 10 micrometers and less than about 20 micrometers from the wafer surface;
• and
• wherein the single crystal silicon wafer is p-type and has a resistivity less than about 10 milliohm-cm.