Synthesis of buried oxide by plasma implantation with oxygen and water plasma

Separation by plasma implantation of oxygen (SPIMOX) is a novel method for fabricating silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. This method uses plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) where the desired voltage of implant is applied to a wafer immersed in a plasma. SPIMOX is particularly suited for thin separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) wafer fabrication. High implantation rates can be achieved in SPIMOX. A dose of nearly 10/sup 18/ cm/sup -2/ with an implant current density of 1 mA cm/sup -2/ can be achieved in 3 minutes of implantation time. The short implantation time and the simplicity of the implantation equipment makes it a potentially more economical method for fabricating SIMOX wafers. Moreover, the theoretical time for implantation remains constant in SPIMOX with increase in wafer size.