Diode and method of making the same

A method of producing a four-layer silicon diode;

• comprising:
• a) selecting a first CZ-grown silicon wafer, wherein said first CZ-grown silicon wafer is B-doped with <100> orientation, a resistivity of less than 0.01 Ohm-cm, and an oxygen content of greater than 10 ppma;
• b) selecting a second CZ-grown silicon wafer, wherein said second CZ-grown silicon wafer is P-doped with <100> orientation, a resistivity of less than 0.005 Ohm-cm, and an oxygen content of greater than 10 ppma;
• c) heating respective CZ-grown silicon wafers in a reducing atmosphere to yield respective out-diffused CZ-grown wafers;
• d) preparing surfaces of the respective out-diffused CZ-grown wafers for furnace annealing;
• e) HF treating respective out-diffused CZ-grown wafers;
• f) positioning the first out-diffused CZ-grown wafer into a first furnace;
• g) positioning the second out-diffused CZ-grown wafer into a second furnace, wherein the first and second furnaces are not unitary;
• h) annealing the respective first and second out-diffused CZ-grown wafers in a reducing atmosphere to yield respective first and second respective out-diffused gradient wafers;
• i) plasma treating respective first and second vacuum-treated out-diffused gradient wafers to grow a thin silica layer thereupon so as to yield respective first and second plasma treated wafers;
• j) vacuum treating respective first and second out-diffused gradient wafers to yield respective first and second vacuum-treated out-diffused gradient wafers;
• k) mating respective first and second plasma treated wafers to yield a four-layered diode structure.