Low-dose SIMOX wafers for LSIs fabricated with internal-thermal-oxidation (ITOX) process: electrical characterization

Electrical performance of separation by implanted oxygen (SIMOX) wafers manufactured by internal-thermal-oxidation (ITOX) process was evaluated. Breakdown behaviour of the buried oxide (BOX) layer was confirmed quantitatively to be dominated by Si islands therein, which were found to be reduced in size or eliminated by the ITOX process. By optimizing the oxygen dose and ITOX amount, a BOX breakdown field of about 8 MV/cm, comparable to those of thermally-grown oxide, was attained. The gate oxide integrity on an ITOX-SIMOX wafer was found to be superior to that of bulk Si wafers, indicating the wafer surface was improved by the high temperature annealing.