The source of all unpredictability – and hence complication – in standard silicon wafers can be traced to the difficulty in controlling all the coupled oxygen reactions which take place during crystal growth and wafer processing. MDZ sweeps this all aside by wrestling away the control of these reactions and giving it to a new, much easier to control component -– the vacancy.

Reaction-controlling vacancies are installed into silicon wafers by a rapid and positive RTP process which replaces the standard thermal donor anneal step. The installed profile of vacancy concentration effectively and robustly programs the wafer to behave in a certain predetermined way. The MDZ process installs a profile that insures optimum performance for all applications.

By sweeping aside all the oxygen-related complications which have stood for many years as a important barrier to the rational use of silicon wafers in IC processes, the MDZ process removes a huge number of oxygen related complications. The MDZ wafer is simplicity itself. It does not require tight oxygen concentration control to give high performance results; it does not require specific tailoring or tuning of silicon wafer to meet the needs of specific processes; it does not require additional costly heat treatments to insure denuded zones. The details of the crystal growth process is no longer important to oxygen behavior. MDZ simplifies the use of silicon to the degree that one specification -– MDZ -– covers all IC applications.

An MDZ wafer is one simple answer to what used to be a million questions. And it is the best answer.