For a wafer to be ready for silicon wafer processing, it needs to meet certain quality specifications, like electrical, chemical, mechanical, and surface specifications. It goes through these quality criteria so a wafer is defect-free and of excellent quality. High-quality wafers are used in semiconductor manufacturing for various electronic applications. It also goes through a series of thorough processing, including epitaxial growth, to guarantee that the devices produced are efficient. In this article, we will discuss to you what epitaxial growth is and why it is important in semiconductor manufacturing.
In silicon wafer processing for semiconductor applications, epitaxy plays an important role. Epitaxial growth or epitaxy is the process of transferring a fine layer of single-crystal material over a single crystal substrate by the way of chemical vapor deposition. Epitaxy is done to boost and develop the performance of bipolar devices. It also helps to better control the doping concentration of the devices, making the layers oxygen and carbon-free. For the films deposited made from the same material as the substrate, the process is called homoepitaxy also known as epi. Example, a silicon deposition over a silicon substrate.
The chemical vapor deposition of epitaxial growth is attained using an epitaxial reactor. It contains a quartz reaction chamber where a susceptor is placed. The susceptor provides mechanical support for the wafers and creates an environment with even thermal distribution. An epitaxial deposition is performed at high temperatures to allow gasses to flow into the chamber. Silicon epitaxy involves growing a thinly doped epi layer over a thickly-doped silicon substrate. This is done to achieve a higher disintegration voltage across the collector-substrate junction while keeping low collector resistance. A lower collector resistance permits a higher operating speed using the same level of current.
Meticulous and thorough silicon wafer processing plays an important role in producing high-quality wafers. At Wafer World, we offer premium quality wafers at an affordable price! Contact us for inquiries or purchase wafers online!
