METHOD OF EVALUATING METAL CONTAMINATION IN BORON-DOPED P-TYPE SILICON WAFER, DEVICE OF EVALUATING METAL CONTAMINATION IN BORON-DOPED P-TYPE SILICON WAFER, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BORON-DOPED P-TYPE SILICON WAFER

• US 20160079129A1
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Inventors: Fukushima, Shinya, Kubota, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,935,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2656 using non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67288 Monitoring of warpage, curvature, damage, defects or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/12 for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions electrical measurement of diffusions H01L22/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/14 for electrical parameters, e.g. resistance, deep-levels, CV, diffusions by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/167 further characterised by the doping material H01L29/1604 takes precedence

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to a method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer, which comprises measuring over time by a microwave photoconductive decay method a recombination lifetime following irradiation with light of a silicon wafer being evaluated and obtaining information on change over time of the recombination lifetime, and comparing the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime that has been obtained with reference information on change over time that has been obtained by calculation or actual measurement of a recombination lifetime of an Fe-contaminated boron-doped p-type silicon wafer to determine whether or not metal contamination other than Fe is present in the silicon wafer being evaluated.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer, which comprises:

measuring over time by a microwave photoconductive decay method a recombination lifetime following irradiation with light of a silicon wafer being evaluated and obtaining information on change over time of the recombination lifetime; and

comparing the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime that has been obtained with reference information on change over time that has been obtained by calculation or actual measurement of a recombination lifetime of an Fe-contaminated boron-doped p-type silicon wafer to determine whether or not metal contamination other than Fe is present in the silicon wafer being evaluated.

2. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 1, which further comprises, when it is determined that metal contamination other than Fe is present in the silicon wafer being evaluated, conducting at least either (1) or (2) below:

(1) obtaining a concentration of metal contamination other than Fe from a recombination lifetime obtained by a first measurement following irradiation with light that is included in the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime and from a recombination lifetime obtained by a second measurement conducted within a prescribed period during which it is estimated that re-pairing of Fe and boron will not advance substantially following the first measurement; and

(2) obtaining a concentration of metal contamination other than Fe from a recombination lifetime obtained by a first measurement following irradiation with light that is included in the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime and from a recombination lifetime obtained by a third measurement conducted after a prescribed period, during which it is estimated that re-pairing of Fe and boron will advance substantially, has elapsed following the first measurement.

3. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 2, wherein the metal contamination comprises contamination by Co.

4. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 3, wherein the second measurement is conducted after 30 minutes have elapsed but before more than 2 hours have elapsed following irradiation with light.

5. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 2, wherein the third measurement is conducted after two hours have elapsed following irradiation with light.

6. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 4, wherein the silicon wafer being evaluated has a resistivity of equal to or greater than 1 Ω

·

cm.

7. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 5, wherein the silicon wafer being evaluated has a resistivity of equal to or greater than 1 Ω

·

cm.

8. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 2, wherein the concentration of metal contamination other than Fe is obtained by the following equation (A):

M=k(1/τ

₂−

1/τ

₁)  

 

(A)

wherein, in equation (A), M denotes the concentration of contamination (atoms/cm³), τ

₂ denotes the recombination lifetime obtained by the second or third measurement, τ

₁ denotes the recombination lifetime obtained by the first measurement, and k denotes a coefficient that is obtained theoretically or empirically.

9. The method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer according to claim 1, which further comprises specifying a type of metal causing metal contamination in the silicon wafer being evaluated by an analysis method other than the microwave photoconductive decay method.

10. An evaluation device, which is employed in the method of evaluating according to claim 1, and comprises:

a light-irradiating element conducting the irradiation with light;

a measuring element measuring the recombination lifetime; and

a displacing means displacing the silicon wafer being evaluated between the light-irradiating element and the measuring element.

11. A method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers, which comprises:

preparing a lot of silicon wafers comprised of multiple boron-doped p-type silicon wafers;

extracting at least one silicon wafer from the lot;

evaluating metal contamination in the silicon wafer that has been extracted; and

shipping, as a product, one or more other silicon wafers within the same lot as a silicon wafer for which metal contamination other than Fe has been determined by the evaluating to be equal to or less than a permitted level; and

wherein

the metal contamination of the silicon wafer that has been extracted is evaluated by a method of evaluating metal contamination in a boron-doped p-type silicon wafer, which comprises;

measuring over time by a microwave photoconductive decay method a recombination lifetime following irradiation with light of a silicon wafer being evaluated and obtaining information on change over time of the recombination lifetime; and

comparing the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime that has been obtained with reference information on change over time that has been obtained by calculation or actual measurement of a recombination lifetime of an Fe-contaminated boron-doped p-type silicon wafer to determine whether or not metal contamination other than Fe is present in the silicon wafer being evaluated.

12. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 11, which further comprises, when it is determined that metal contamination other than Fe is present in the silicon wafer being evaluated, conducting at least either (1) or (2) below:

(1) obtaining a concentration of metal contamination other than Fe from a recombination lifetime obtained by a first measurement following irradiation with light that is included in the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime and from a recombination lifetime obtained by a second measurement conducted within a prescribed period during which it is estimated that re-pairing of Fe and boron will not advance substantially following the first measurement; and

(2) obtaining a concentration of metal contamination other than Fe from a recombination lifetime obtained by a first measurement following irradiation with light that is included in the information on change over time of the recombination lifetime and from a recombination lifetime obtained by a third measurement conducted after a prescribed period, during which it is estimated that re-pairing of Fe and boron will advance substantially, has elapsed following the first measurement.

13. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 12, wherein the metal contamination comprises contamination by Co.

14. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 13, wherein the second measurement is conducted after 30 minutes have elapsed but before more than 2 hours have elapsed following irradiation with light.

15. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 12, wherein the third measurement is conducted after two hours have elapsed following irradiation with light.

16. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 14, wherein the silicon wafer being evaluated has a resistivity of equal to or greater than 1 Ω

·

cm.

17. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 15, wherein the silicon wafer being evaluated has a resistivity of equal to or greater than 1 Ω

·

cm.

18. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 12, wherein the concentration of metal contamination other than Fe is obtained by the following equation (A):

M=k(1/ξ

₂−

1/τ

₁)  

 

(A)

wherein, in equation (A), M denotes the concentration of contamination (atoms/cm³), τ

₂ denotes the recombination lifetime obtained by the second or third measurement, τ

₁ denotes the recombination lifetime obtained by the first measurement, and k denotes a coefficient that is obtained theoretically or empirically.

19. The method of manufacturing one or more boron-doped p-type silicon wafers according to claim 11, which further comprises specifying a type of metal causing the metal contamination in the silicon wafer being evaluated by an analysis method other than the microwave photoconductive decay method.