To produce a silicon wafer, you must first successfully grow a silicon crystal or ingot. And just like anything else in this world, crystals naturally possess flaws, which is commonly referred to as crystalline defects. These flaws are unwanted in silicon wafers because it can affect the different aspects of semiconductor manufacturing. That’s why knowing the common crystalline defects before you buy silicon wafer is important. Here are some crystalline defects in silicon:
Crystalline defects are classified into four types. These types are point defects, line defects, area defects, and volume defects.
Extrinsic point defects involve external atoms which come from dopants, metals, and carbons. They are considered to be a critical type of defect. A substitutional impurity is when a non-silicon atom transfers into a lattice area usually occupied by a silicon atom. Interstitial Impurity is when a non-silicon atom takes over a non-lattice area.
Line defects are also called as dislocations. It can be classified as an edge dislocation, screw dislocation, and mixed dislocation.
This type of defect consists of stacking faults, twin boundaries, and grain boundaries. It has something to do with the commotion of the regularity of the stacking of planes of atoms. This happens when a plane is added into or taken away from the lattice, and it can cause device degradation.
This type of defect is also known as bulk defects. It contains voids and precipitates which come from extrinsic and intrinsic point defects.
Not all defects are harmful. Certain defects are necessary for semiconductor manufacturing. Buy silicon wafer from Wafer World! At Wafer World, our 20 years of experience in the industry has allowed us to master the process of producing high-quality wafers in the most efficient way possible. Call us for inquiries or purchase affordable silicon wafers online!
