Process-induced defects (bulk stacking faults (BSF) and precipitate-defect clusters (PDC)), warp and minority lifetime have been investigated in silicon wafers with oxygen ranging from 10 to 33 ppma (ASTM F 121-79). The results indicate that the density of BSF and PDC decreased as the oxygen content decreased. The warp of as-polished wafers did not correlate with the oxygen concentration. Minority carrier lifetime measurements and DRAM yields achieved on very low oxygen wafers (<20 ppma) indicated that extrinsic gettering may be required to improve leakage current and sustain device yield in these wafers.