Argon/ammonia rapid thermal annealing for silicon wafers, silicon wafers fabricated thereby and czochralski pullers for manufacturing monocrystalline silicon ingots

A silicon wafer having a top surface, a bottom surface and an oxygen precipitate concentration profile therein between the top surface and the bottom surface, the oxygen precipitate concentration profile comprising:

• first and second peaks at first and second predetermined depths from the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer, respectively;
• a Denuded Zone (DZ) between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and between the bottom surface of the wafer and the second peak;
• a concave region between the first and second peaks;
• and
• a plurality of shallow trench isolation (STI) regions in the denuded zone between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and having STI slip that is reduced compared to same STI regions in a silicon wafer that does not include the oxygen precipitate concentration profile.

A silicon wafer having a top surface, a bottom surface and an oxygen precipitate concentration profile therein between the top surface and the bottom surface, the oxygen precipitate concentration profile comprising:

• first and second peaks at first and second predetermined depths from the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer, respectively;
• a Denuded Zone (DZ) between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and between the bottom surface of the wafer and the second peak;
• a concave region between the first and second peaks;
• and
• a plurality of shallow trench isolation (STI) regions in the denuded zone between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and that are free of STI slip.

A method of manufacturing a silicon wafer, comprising:

• performing a Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) process on a silicon wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface in an atmosphere of a gas mixture comprising a gas which has a vacancy injection effect and a gas which has an interstitial silicon injection effect on the top and bottom surfaces of the silicon wafer, and at between about 1100° C. and about 1150° C., to generate nucleation centers, which serve as oxygen precipitate growth sites during subsequent heat treatment, in a nucleation center concentration profile from the top surface to the bottom surface of the wafer, the nucleation center concentration profile comprising:
• first and second peaks at first and second predetermined depths from the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer, respectively;
• a region having a predetermined nucleation center concentration, which is lower than a critical concentration, between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and between the bottom surface of the wafer and the second peak;
• and
• a concave region between the first and second peaks.

A method of manufacturing a silicon wafer, comprising:

• performing a Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) process on a silicon wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface in an atmosphere of a gas mixture of ammonia and argon, to generate nucleation centers, which serve as oxygen precipitate growth sites during subsequent heat treatment, in a nucleation center concentration profile from the top surface to the bottom surface of the wafer, the nucleation center concentration profile comprising:
• first and second peaks at first and second predetermined depths from the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer, respectively;
• a region having a predetermined nucleation center concentration, which is lower than a critical concentration, between the top surface of the wafer and the first peak and between the bottom surface of the wafer and the second peak;
• and
• a concave region between the first and second peaks.

A Czochralski puller for growing monocrystalline silicon ingots, comprising:

• a chamber enclosure;
• a crucible in the chamber enclosure that holds molten silicon;
• a seed holder in the chamber enclosure, adjacent the crucible to hold a seed crystal;
• a heater in the chamber enclosure, surrounding the crucible;
• a ring-shaped heat shield housing in the chamber enclosure, including inner and outer heat shield housing walls that are separated from one another, and a heat shield housing top and a heat shield housing bottom which connect the inner and outer heat shield housing walls, the heat shield housing top sloping upwards from the inner heat shield housing wall to the outer heat shield housing wall, and the heat shield housing bottom including a first portion adjacent the inner heat shield housing wall that slopes downwards from the inner heat shield housing wall towards the outer heat shield housing wall and a second portion adjacent the outer heat shield housing wall that slopes downwards from the outer heat shield housing wall towards the inner heat shield housing wall;
• and
• a support member that supports the heat shield housing within the crucible.

A Czochralski puller for growing monocrystalline silicon ingots, comprising:

• a chamber enclosure;
• a crucible in the chamber enclosure that holds molten silicon;
• a seed holder in the chamber enclosure, adjacent the crucible to hold a seed crystal;
• a heater in the chamber enclosure, surrounding the crucible;
• a ring-shaped heat shield housing in the chamber enclosure, including inner and outer heat shield housing walls that are separated from one another, and a heat shield housing top and a heat shield housing bottom which connect the inner and outer heat shield housing walls, the heat shield housing top sloping upwards from the inner heat shield housing wall to the outer heat shield housing wall, and the heat shield housing bottom sloping downwards from the inner heat shield housing wall to the outer heat shield housing wall, the ring-shaped heat shield housing also including a notch therein at an intersection of the outer heat sheet housing wall and the heat shield housing bottom;
• and
• a support member that supports the heat shield housing within the crucible.