HYDROGEN ANNEALED SILICON-ON-INSULATOR

Hydrogen annealing effects on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) materials are reported. High boron concentration of approximately 2 x 10(18)/cm3 in 0.1-mum-thick SOI layer produced by bond and etch-back SOI (BESOI) method is reduced to approximately 5 x 10(15)/cm3 by annealing at 1150-degrees-C for 1 h. The BESOI surface became very smooth comparable to commercially available polished wafer simultaneously. Separation-by-implantation-of-oxygen wafer was also smoothed by the hydrogen anneal. This is due to surface migration of Si atoms driven by surface energy minimization after removing native oxide. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.