Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Wonder D Wang

Shean-Ren Horng

Fei-Chi Huang

An improved method for grinding a semiconductor chip to prepare it for scanning with SEM to view a defect includes the step of forming an electrically conductive coating on the top surface of the chip. The coating is made under a mask that produces a U shaped conductive pattern so that an electrical path is formed on the top surface of the chip between two corners of the pattern. An initial resistance measurement is made for this path and a known amount of the chip below the U shape is ground away and a second resistance measurement is made. From these measurements, a calculation is made that gives the resistance when the chip has been ground to a selected section line. The grinding operation then proceeds until this resistance is reached, and the usual practice of visually checking the chip during the grinding operation is avoided. The mask creates a point at the bottom of the U shape that points to the defect.

Method for preparing semiconductor chip as SEM specimen

A semiconductor test fixture is described for sampling thin films on the surface of a semiconductor wafer in the process of manufacturing integrated circuits thereon. A first plate is provided for supporting the wafer. At least one test fluid reservoir, and usually three reservoirs having a projecting collar or flange around one end thereof an an O-ring under the collar. A second late having at least one opening therein for allowing the major portion of the at least one test fluid reservoir to pass through and with the collar of the reservoir supporting the second plate. A hand screw is associated with the first and second plates for tightening second plate against the collar of the reservoir and, in turn the O-ring of the collar against the wafer which is supported upon the first plate so as to allow a fluid to be contained in the reservoir without leakage.

Thin film sampler for film composition quantitative analysis

A method for analyzing ultratrace amounts of impurities in thin films present on semiconductor wafers without destroying the semiconductor wafer is described. The wafer having thin films to be analyzed is positioned into a testing device or fixture having at least one fluid reservoir. The testing device is tightened and sealed to the wafer so that the fluid reservoir is open to the thin films on the wafer, but otherwise sealed to the ambient. A reagent fluid is provided in the reservoir which dissolves the thin films on the wafer and allowing sufficient time for the fluid to dissolve the thin films. A diluent is added to the reservoir and the fluids are mixed. The mixed fluids are sampled and analyzed to determine the chemical nature of the thin films on the wafer. Samples are removed from the test fluid reservoirs to be tested as in an ion chromatograph, after the quantitative test, the wafer can be tested for weight difference and thin film edge step height by precision balance and alpha step which can be correlated.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Wonder D Wang