A method for preparing a biological material for implanting provides irradiating at least a portion of the surface of the material with an accelerated Neutral Beam.

An epitaxial wafer that includes a silicon wafer and an epitaxial layer on the silicon wafer. The silicon wafer contains hydrogen that has a concentration profile including a first peak and a second peak. A hydrogen peak concentration of the first peak and a hydrogen peak concentration of the second peak are each not less than 1×10.sup.17 atoms/cm.sup.3.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in a semiconductor body having a first surface and a second surface is proposed. The method includes implanting protons through the second surface into the semiconductor body. The method further includes implanting ions through the second surface into the semiconductor body. The ions are ions of a non-doping element having an atomic number of at least 9. Thereafter, the method further includes processing the semiconductor body by thermal annealing.

Provided is a method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer having enhanced gettering ability. The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes: a first step of irradiating a surface of a semiconductor wafer with cluster ions containing carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen as constituent elements to form a modified layer that is located in a surface portion of the semiconductor wafer and contains the constituent elements of the cluster ions as a solid solution; and a second step of forming an epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the semiconductor wafer.

An epitaxial wafer that includes a silicon wafer and an epitaxial layer on the silicon wafer. The silicon wafer contains hydrogen that has a concentration profile including a first peak and a second peak. A hydrogen peak concentration of the first peak and a hydrogen peak concentration of the second peak are each not less than 1×10.sup.17 atoms/cm.sup.3.

Provided is a method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer having enhanced gettering ability. The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes: a first step of irradiating a surface of a semiconductor wafer with cluster ions to form a modified layer that is located in a surface portion of the semiconductor wafer and that includes a constituent element of the cluster ions in solid solution; and a second step of forming an epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the semiconductor wafer. The first step is performed in a state in which a temperature of the semiconductor wafer is maintained at lower than 25° C.

A laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device that may include an oxide region that comprises a bottom surface; a drain that is positioned between a left drift region and a right drift region and below the bottom surface; wherein the oxide region further comprises a first sloped surface and a second sloped surface; wherein a first angle between the first sloped surface and the bottom surface does not exceed twenty degrees; and wherein a second angle between the second sloped surface and the bottom surface of the oxide region does not exceed twenty degrees.

A method of improving the surface of an object treats the surface with a neutral beam formed from a gas cluster ion mean to create a surface texture and/or increase surface area.

A method of forming a patterned hard mask on a surface of a substrate uses an accelerated neutral beam with carbon atoms.

Provided is a method of producing an epitaxial silicon wafer having high gettering capability resulting in even more reduced white spot defects in a back-illuminated solid-state imaging device. The method includes: a first step of irradiating a surface of a silicon wafer with cluster ions of C.sub.nH.sub.m (n=1 or 2, m=1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) generated using a Bernas ion source or an IHC ion source, thereby forming, in the silicon wafer, a modifying layer containing, as a solid solution, carbon and hydrogen that are constituent elements of the cluster ions; and a subsequent second step of forming a silicon epitaxial layer on the surface. In the first step, peaks of concentration profiles of carbon and hydrogen in the depth direction of the modifying layer are made to lie in a range of more than 150 nm and 2000 nm or less from the surface.