Verity Instruments, Inc.

Texas Instruments Corporation

Other

University of Texas System

Kenneth C Harvey

Andrew Weeks Kueny

Timothy Alan Rost

Mike Whelan

Jimmy W Hosch

Robert M Wallace

Mark Anthony Meloni

Arun Ananth Aiyer

John D Corless

Matthew J Goeckner

Barry M Wise

Neal B Gallagher

Pl Stephan Thamban

The present invention is directed to a gas line electron beam exciter, gas line electron beam excitation system and method for exciting a gas using an electron beam exciter. The electron beam exciter generally comprises a variable density electron source for generating a cloud of electrons in an electron chamber and a variable energy electron extractor for accelerating electrons from the electron chamber as an electron beam and into an effluent stream for fluorescing species in the effluent. The electron density of the electron beam is variably controlled by adjusting the excitation power applied to the variable density electron source. The electrons in the electron chamber reside at a reference electrical potential of the chamber, typically near ground electrical potential. The electron energy of the electron beam is variably controlled by adjusting an electrical potential across the variable energy electron extractor, which energizes the electrons through an extraction hole of the chamber and toward the extractor. The greater the difference in the electrical potential between the electron extractor and the electron source, the higher the energy imparted to the electrons in the electron beam. The excitation power applied to the electron source can be adjusted independently from the electron energy of the electron beam, thereby altering the electron density of the electron beam without changing the energy level of the electrons of the electron beam.

Electron beam exciter for use in chemical analysis in processing systems

The present invention is directed to a system and method for radiometric calibration of spectroscopy equipment utilized in fault detection and process monitoring. Initially, a reference spectrograph is calibrated to a local primary standard (a calibrated light source with known spectral intensities and traceable to a reference standard). Other spectrographs are then calibrated from the reference spectrograph rather than the local primary calibration standard. This is accomplished by viewing a light source with both the reference spectrograph and the spectrograph to be calibrated. The output from the spectrograph to be calibrated is compared to the output of the reference spectrograph and then adjusted to match that output. The present calibration process can be performed in two stages, the first with the spectrographs calibrated to the reference spectrograph and then are fine tuned to a narrow band light source at the plasma chamber. Alternatively, the reference spectrograph can be calibrated to the local primary standard while optically coupled to the plasma chamber. There, the local primary standard calibration light source is temporarily positioned within the plasma chamber, or in a light chamber disposed along the interior of the chamber for calibrating the reference spectrograph. Other spectrographs can be calibrated to the reference spectrograph while coupled to the plasma chamber with the local primary standard calibration light source, thereby calibrating every component in the entire optical path to the reference spectrograph.

Calibration of a radiometric optical monitoring system used for fault detection and process monitoring

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for reducing the effects of window clouding on a viewport window in a reactive environment. One or more clouded viewport windows are obtained for testing, in which the clouding results from exposure to the reactive environment. The clouding typically appears as a coating film on the test windows. The clouded viewport windows are analyzed for one or more spectral regions having good transmission. The threshold level of light transmission is determined by the particular application in which the window is used. The spectral regions of good transmission are evaluated for their usefulness with a particular algorithm that will use the spectral data in a production environment. Spectral regions that cannot be evaluated using the subject algorithm are eliminated from consideration. Spectral regions that can be evaluated using the subject algorithm and exhibit low absorption are selected for monitoring in the production environment.

Method and apparatus for reducing the effects of window clouding on a viewport window in a reactive environment

The present invention is directed to a heterodyne reflectometer system and method for obtaining highly accurate phase shift information from heterodyned optical signals, from which extremely accurate film depths can be calculated. A linearly polarized light comprised of two linearly polarized components that are orthogonal to each other, with split optical frequencies, is directed toward a film causing one of the optical polarization components to lag behind the other due to an increase in the optical path in the film for that component. A pair of detectors receives the beam reflected from the film layer and produces a measurement signal, and the beam prior to incidence on the film layer and generates a reference signal, respectively. The measurement signal and reference signal are analyzed by a phase detector for phase shift. The detected phase shift is then fed into a thickness calculator for film thickness results. A grating interferometer may be included with the heterodyne reflectometer system with a grating, which diffracts the reflected beam into zeroth- and first-order bands, which are then detected by separate detectors. A detector receives the zeroth-order beam and generates another measurement signal. Another detector receives the first-order beam and generates a grating signal. The measurement signal from the grating and reference signal may be analyzed by a phase detector for phase shift, which is related to the thickness of the film. Conversely, either measurement signal may be analyzed with the grating signal by a phase detector for detecting a grating phase shift. The refractive index for the film may be calculated from grating phase shift and the heterodyne phase shift. The updated refractive index is then used for calculating thickness.

Heterodyne reflectometer for film thickness monitoring and method for implementing

The present invention is directed to a system, method and software product for creating a predictive model of the endpoint of etch processes using Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). Calibration data is collected from a calibration wafer using optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The data may be non-periodic or periodic with time and periodic signals may be sampled synchronously or non-synchronously. The OES data is arranged in a spectra matrix X having one row for each data sample. The OES data is processed depending upon whether or not it is synchronous. Synchronous data is arranged in an unfolded spectra matrix X having one row for each period of data samples. A previewed endpoint signal is plotted using wavelengths known to exhibit good endpoint characteristics. Regions of stable intensity values in the endpoint plot that are associated with either the etch region or the post-etch region are identified by sample number. An X-block is created from the processed OES data samples associated with the two regions of stable intensity values. Non-periodic OES data and asynchronously sampled periodic OES data are arranged in a X-block by one sample per row. Synchronously sampled periodic OES data are arranged in the X-block by one period per row. A y-block is created by assigning a discriminate variable value of &ldquo;1&rdquo; to OES samples associated with the class, i.e. the etch, and assigning a discriminate value of &ldquo;0&rdquo; to all samples not in the class, i.e. the post-etch. A b-vector is regressed from the X- and y-blocks using PLS and is used with the appropriate algorithm for processing real-time OES data from a production etch process for detecting an endpoint.

System and method for determining endpoint in etch processes using partial least squares discriminant analysis in the time domain of optical emission spectra

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device wherein there is provided a semiconductor substrate, preferably of silicon, having a gate insulator thereover, preferably of silicon dioxide, forming a junction, preferably a silicon/silicon dioxide interface, and a gate electrode, preferably of doped polysilicon, over the partially fabricated device. Deuterium is implanted into the structure and the deuterium is caused to diffuse through the device. The device fabrication is then completed.

Method for improving performance and reliability of MOS technologies and data retention characteristics of flash memory cells

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device wherein there is provided a semiconductor substrate, preferably of silicon, having a gate insulator thereover, preferably of silicon dioxide, forming a junction, preferably a silicon/silicon dioxide interface, and a gate electrode, preferably of doped polysilicon, over the partially fabricated device. Deuterium is implanted into the structure and the deuterium is caused to diffuse through the deivce. The device fabrication is then completed.

Channel-hot-carrier reliability can be improved by deuterium sintering. However, the benefits obtained by deuterium sintering can be greatly reduced or destroyed by thermal processing steps which break Si--H and Si--D bonds. A solution is to increase the deuterium concentration near the interface to avoid subsequent depletion of deuterium due to diffusion. By using a rapid quench of a sintered wafer, the deuterium concentration near the interface is increased, because the rapid quench impedes the ability of the deuterium to diffuse away from the gate oxide interface.

Deuterium sintering with rapid quenching

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device wherein there is provided a partially fabricated semiconductor device having a Si/SiO.sub.2 interface in which all processing steps involving heating of the device to a temperature above the Si-hydrogen dissociation temperature for a sufficient time to cause at least substantial dissociation of hydrogen from silicon have been completed. The device is immersed in a deuterium ambient for a sufficient time to permit the device structure in the region of the Si/SiO.sub.2 interface to have an excess of deuterium atoms. The device is then heated to a temperature above the dissociation temperature of hydrogen-silicon bonds for a time sufficient to cause substantial dissociation of hydrogen and/or deuterium from Si in the region of the Si/SiO.sub.2 interface while the deuterium remains in the device structure at the Si and SiO.sub.2 interface. The temperature of the device is then lowered to below the hydrogen-silicon dissociation temperature; and fabrication of the device is completed in standard manner. The SiO.sub.2 is generally the gate oxide of an MOS transistor. The step of immersing is at a temperature of from about 400 degrees C. to about 450 degrees C. for at least 60 minutes. The step of heating is at a temperature of from about 500 to about 550 degrees C. for a period of from about 15 to about 30 minutes. The step of lowering the temperature is to ambient temperature of about 22 degrees C.

Method to enhance deuterium anneal/implant to reduce channel-hot carrier

A novel scooter-like device enables the user to employ body movements similar to those used in skiing to cause the vehicle to traverse hills, including grass-covered slopes, through pivotally, longitudinally and arcuately slidably linking angular movement of the front locomotion mechanism relative to the longitudinal axis of a fixed central platform to the rear locomotion mechanism in tracking relationship, and in a region under the central portion of the platform.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Kenneth C Harvey