For implanted phosphorus in the dose range of 5×1013/cm2–4×1014/cm2, up to half the implanted dose may be lost during low thermal budget anneals due to transient diffusion and anomalous segregation at the Si–SiO2 interface. The phosphorus atoms, rendered mobile by the implant damage, stick in the oxide near the interface where they are electrically inactive and can be removed by stripping the surface oxide. Such a dose loss needs to be accounted for in a typical device fabrication process.