The surface of machined silicon wafers: Raman spectroscopic study

Abstract

The machining processes applied during the manufacture of Si wafers may cause various types of surface damage which can be specified and quantified by Raman spectrometry. A quantitative evaluation of the line profile and position of the Raman active T2g vibration near 520 cm-1 in ID-sliced and differently lapped wafers reveals the existence of microcrystallites with grain sizes down to 3 nm in the vicinity of the wafer surface. The damage was found to vary with the lapping material used.