Lsi Logic Corporation

Lsi Corporation

Ynhi Thi Le

Venkatesh P Gopinath

Verne C Hornback

Hong Lin

Dodd Defibaugh

Mohammad R Mirbedini

Steven E Reder

Agajan Suvkhanov

An in-line, in-process or in-situ and non-destructive metrology system, apparatus and method provides composition, quality and/or thickness measurement of a thin film or multi-layer thin film formed on a substrate in a thin film processing system. Particularly, the subject invention provides a spectroscopic ellipsometer performing spectroscopic ellipsometry while the wafer is in a thin film processing system. In one form, the spectroscopic ellipsometer is associated with a wet bench system portion of the thin film processing system. The spectroscopic ellipsometer obtains characteristic data regarding the formed thin film to calculate penetration depth (D) for a thin film formed on the substrate. Particularly, the ellipsometer obtains an extinction coefficient (k) which is used to calculate penetration depth (D). Penetration depth (D), being a unique function of the extinction coefficient (k) provides the information for the composition, quality and/or thickness monitoring of the thin film.

In-situ metrology system and method for monitoring metalization and other thin film formation

Dual trench depths are achieved on the same wafer by forming an initial trench having a depth corresponding to the difference in final depths of the shallow and deep trenches. A second mask is used to open areas for the deep trenches over the preliminary trenches and for the shallow trenches at additional locations. Etching of the shallow and deep trenches then proceeds simultaneously.

Fabrication of trenches with multiple depths on the same substrate

The invention provides a method for depositing a film on a surface of a semiconductor wafer while preventing formation of defects on the surface of the wafer. The method includes selecting a quartz wafer carrier for holding the semiconductor wafer during the depositing of the film, where the wafer carrier has quartz rods with fire-polished slots for receiving an edge of the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer is placed into the quartz wafer carrier with the edge of the wafer disposed within the fire-polished slots, and the wafer carrier and wafer are loaded into a deposition chamber. Air is evacuated from the deposition chamber, the temperature in the chamber is raised to a deposition temperature, the pressure within the deposition chamber is adjusted to a deposition pressure, and process gases are introduced to the deposition chamber. By reaction of the process gases, the film is deposited on the surface of the wafer and on the wafer carrier. Using a wafer carrier having fire-polished slots provides increased adhesion of the deposited film to the wafer carrier. The increased adhesion prevents spalling of the film off of the wafer carrier which causes particles of the film to impact the wafer. Such particle impacts introduce defects to the wafer which would render the wafer unusable. Thus, using a fire-polished wafer carrier introduces significantly fewer defects to a wafer than does using a non-fire-polished wafer carrier. Therefore, the present invention reduces the number of rejected wafers, thereby saving production time and money.

System to reduce particulate contamination

Growing community of inventors

Gresham, OR, United States of America

Ynhi Thi Le