Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation

Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Thomas G Miller

Gregory S Horner

Zhiwei Xu

Jianou Shi

Amin Samsavar

Sergio Edelstein

John M Schmidt

Rainer Schierle

Xiaofeng Hu

Zhiwei (Steve) Xu

Patrick Stevens

Xiafang (Michelle) Zhang

Roger L Verkuil

Greg Horner

Steven Weinzierl

Quoc-Bao Vu

Bao Vu

Arun Srivatsa

Systems configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen are provided. One system configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen includes a focused biasing device configured to provide a stimulus to a focused spot on the specimen. The system also includes a sensor configured to measure a parameter of a measurement spot on the specimen. The measurement spot overlaps the focused spot. The system further includes a processor configured to determine the property of the specimen from the parameter.

Systems configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen

Systems and methods for determining a property of a specimen are provided. The specimen may be a product wafer. The method may include biasing a focused spot on the specimen. The method may also include measuring a parameter of a measurement spot on the specimen. The measurement spot may overlap the focused spot. In addition, the method may include determining the property of the specimen from the measured parameter. Systems and methods for varying the performance of a corona source are also provided. The method may include altering a property of the environment within the corona source. The property may include, but is not limited to, temperature, pressure, humidity, and/or partial pressure of a gas within the corona source.

Contactless charge measurement of product wafers and control of corona generation and deposition

Methods for determining an electrical parameter of an insulating film are provided. One method includes measuring a surface potential of a leaky insulating film without inducing leakage across the insulating film and determining the electrical parameter from the surface potential. Another method includes applying an electrical field across the insulating film. Leakage across the insulating film caused by the electrical field is negligible. The method also includes measuring a surface potential of the specimen and determining a potential of the substrate. In addition, the method includes determining a pure voltage across the insulating film from the surface potential and the substrate potential. The method further includes determining the electrical parameter from the pure voltage. The electrical parameter may be capacitance or electrical thickness of the insulating film.

Methods for imperfect insulating film electrical thickness/capacitance measurement

A method for determining a property of an insulating film is provided. The method may include obtaining a charge density measurement of the film, a surface voltage potential of the film relative to a bulk voltage potential of the substrate, and a rate of voltage decay of the film. The method may also include determining the property of the film using the charge density, the surface voltage potential, and the rate of voltage decay. A method for determining a thickness of an insulating film is provided. The method may include depositing a charge on the film, measuring a surface voltage potential of the film relative to a bulk voltage potential of the substrate, and measuring a rate of voltage decay of the film. The method may also include determining a thickness of the film using the rate of voltage decay and a theoretical model relating to current leakage and film thickness.

Methods and systems for determining a property of an insulating film

Methods for determining a surface voltage of an insulating film are provided. One method includes depositing a charge on an upper surface of the insulating film and measuring a current to the wafer during deposition. The method also includes determining the surface voltage of the insulating film from the current. In this manner, the surface voltage is not measured, but is determined from a measured current. Another embodiment may include measuring a second current to the wafer during a high current mode deposition of a charge on the film and determining a second surface voltage of the film from the second current. This method may be repeated until a Q-V sweep is measured. An additional embodiment may include altering a control voltage during deposition of the charge such that a current to the wafer is substantially constant over time and determining charge vs. voltage data for the insulating film.

Methods and systems for determining an electrical property of an insulating film

A method for determining a property of an insulating film is provided. The method may include obtaining a charge density measurement of the film, a surface voltage potential of the film relative to a bulk voltage potential of the substrate, and a rate of voltage decay of the film. The method may also include determining the property of the film using the charge density, the surface voltage potential, and the rate of voltage decay. A method for determining a thickness of an insulating film is provided. The method may include depositing a charge on the film, measuring a surface voltage potential of the film relative to a bulk voltage potential of the substrate, and measuring a rate of voltage decay of the film. The method may also include determining a thickness of the film using the rate of voltage decay and a theoretical model relating to leakage and film thickness.

A method to detect metal contamination on a semiconductor topography is provided. The semiconductor topography may include a semiconductor substrate or a dielectric material disposed upon a semiconductor substrate. The metal contamination may be driven into the semiconductor substrate by an annealing process. Alternatively, the annealing process may drive the metal contamination into the dielectric material. Subsequent to the annealing process, a charge may be deposited upon an upper surface of the semiconductor topography. An electrical property of the semiconductor topography may be measured. A characteristic of at least one type of metal contamination may be determined as a function of the electrical property of the semiconductor topography. The method may be used to determine a characteristic of one or more types of metal contamination on a portion of the semiconductor topography or the entire semiconductor topography. A system configured to detect metal contamination on a semiconductor topography is also provided. An oven may be incorporated into the system and may be used to anneal the semiconductor topography. The system may also include a device that may be configured to deposit a charge on an upper surface of the semiconductor topography. A sensor may also be included in the system. The sensor may use a non-contact work function technique to measure an electrical property of the semiconductor topography.

Method and system for detecting metal contamination on a semiconductor wafer

Non-contact methods for determining a property of an insulating film are provided. One method includes measuring an amount of hysteresis in the insulating film without contacting the insulating film. The method also includes determining the amount of hysteresis in the insulating film. Computer-implemented methods for data analysis are also provided. One computer-implemented method includes determining a single numeric value representing an amount of hysteresis in an insulating film from electrical characteristics of the insulating film. The electrical characteristics are measured without contacting the insulating film. In addition, systems that include a measurement system and a computer-usable carrier medium are provided. The measurement system is configured to measure an amount of hysteresis in an insulating film without contacting the insulating film. The carrier medium includes program instructions, which are executable on a computer system for determining the amount of hysteresis in the insulating film using measurements from the measurement system.

Non-contact hysteresis measurements of insulating films

A conductive screen is placed between a corona gun and the surface of a semiconductor wafer. The charge deposited on the wafer by the gun is controlled by a potential applied to the screen. A chuck orients the wafer in close proximity to the screen. A desired charge is applied to the wafer by first applying a surplus of one charge to the wafer and then depositing an opposite polarity charge until the potential of the wafer equals the potential of the screen.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Thomas G Miller