1. Introduction.- 2. Common Properties of Transition Metals.- 2.1 General Behavior.- 2.2 Contamination of Silicon Wafers.- 2.2.1 Solid Phase.- 2.2.2 Liquid Phase.- 2.2.3 Vapor Phase.- 2.3 Impact on Device Performance.- 2.3.1 Dissolved Transition Metals.- 2.3.2 Precipitated Transition Metals.- 3. Properties of Transition Metals in Silicon.- 3.1 Solubilities.- 3.2 Diffusivities.- 3.3 Dissolved Impurities.- 3.3.1 Point Defects.- 3.3.2 Complexes.- 3.4 Precipitated Metals.- 3.4.1 Volume Precipitates.- 3.4.2 Surface Precipitates - Haze.- 3.4.3 Haze Phenomena.- 4. Properties of the Main Impurities.- 4.1 Iron.- 4.1.1 Solubility.- 4.1.2 Diffusivity.- 4.1.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.1.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.1.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.1.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.1.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 4.2 Nickel.- 4.2.1 Solubility.- 4.2.2 Diffusivity.- 4.2.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.2.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.2.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.2.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.2.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 4.3 Copper.- 4.3.1 Solubility.- 4.3.2 Diffusivity.- 4.3.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.3.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.3.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.3.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.3.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 4.4 Molybdenum.- 4.4.1 Solubility.- 4.4.2 Diffusivity.- 4.4.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.4.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.4.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.4.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.4.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 4.5 Palladium.- 4.5.1 Solubility.- 4.5.2 Diffusivity.- 4.5.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.5.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.5.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.5.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.6 Platinum.- 4.6.1 Solubility.- 4.6.2 Diffusivity.- 4.6.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.6.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.6.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.6.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.6.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 4.7 Gold.- 4.7.1 Solubility.- 4.7.2 Diffusivity.- 4.7.3 Behavior During Heat Treatment.- 4.7.4 Electrical Activity.- 4.7.5 Properties of the Precipitates.- 4.7.6 Known Impurity Sources and Common Concentrations.- 4.7.7 Avoidance of Contamination.- 5. Properties of Rare Impurities.- 5.1 Scandium.- 5.2 Titanium.- 5.3 Vanadium.- 5.4 Chromium.- 5.5 Manganese.- 5.6 Cobalt.- 5.7 Zinc.- 5.8 Rhodium.- 5.9 Silver.- 5.10 Tantalum.- 5.11 Tungsten.- 5.12 Mercury.- 6. Detection Methods.- 6.1 Detection of Total Impurity Content.- 6.1.1 Neutron Activation Analysis.- 6.1.2 Mass Spectrometers, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometers.- 6.1.3 Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy.- 6.1.4 Vapor-Phase Decomposition.- 6.1.5 Inductively-Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy.- 6.1.6 Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis.- 6.2 Detection of Dissolved Impurities.- 6.2.1 Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy.- 6.2.2 Carrier Lifetime.- 6.2.3 Diffusion Length.- 6.3 Detection of Precipitates.- 6.3.1 Haze Test.- 7. Requirements of Modern Technology.- 7.1 Reduction of Contamination.- 7.1.1 Control of Ingots.- 7.1.2 Process Control.- 8. Gettering of Impurities.- 8.1 Gettering Mechanisms.- 8.2 Control of Gettering Efficiency.- 8.2.1 Conventional Methods.- 8.2.2 Palladium Test.- 8.2.3 Iron Test.- 9. Conclusion and Future Trends.- References.

A discussion of the different mechanisms responsible for contamination together with a survey of their impact on device performance. The author examines the specific properties of main and rare impurities in silicon, as well as the detection methods and requirements in modern technology. Finally, impurity gettering is studied along with modern techniques to determine gettering efficiency. Throughout all of these subjects, the book presents only reliable and up-to-date data so as to provide a thorough review of recent scientific investigations.