Patent ID: 8642449

Claim:
A method of processing a silicon wafer formed from a single-crystal silicon ingot grown by pulling, the method comprising: (A) diffusing oxygen outward from a surface layer of the silicon wafer by heat-treating the silicon wafer in a reducing gas or inert gas or a mixture thereof; and (B) injecting dissolved oxygen to the surface of the silicon wafer by further heating-treating the silicon wafer and subsequently rapid-cooling the silicon wafer in an oxygen-containing gas, wherein said (B) comprises isothermal heat treatment in the oxygen-containing gas and subsequent rapid cooling in the oxygen-containing gas in a rapid-heating-and-cooling apparatus, and wherein said rapid-cooling has a cooling rate that ranges from 10° C/min to 100° C/min, wherein the silicon wafer after being processed in steps (A) and (B), comprises: a denuded zone (DZ) layer formed adjacent a surface of the silicon wafer and having a dissolved oxygen density of about 1×10 17 atoms/cm 3 to about 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 ; and a bulk layer having bulk micro defects (BMD) density of about 5×10 8 pieces/cm 3 to about 5×10 9 pieces/cm 3 .