Applied Materials, Inc.

Zhefu Wang

Boguslaw A Swedek

Wen-Chiang Tu

Hassan G Iravani

Zhihong Wang

Wei Guang Lu

Dominic J Benvegnu

Ingemar Carlsson

Fred Conrad Redeker

William H McClintock

Wei Lu

In fabrication of an integrated circuit having a layer with a plurality of conductive interconnects, a layer of a substrate is polished to provide the layer of the integrated circuit. The layer of the substrate includes conductive lines to provide the conductive interconnects. The layer of the substrate includes a closed conductive loop formed of a conductive material in a trench. A depth of the conductive material in the trench is monitored using an inductive monitoring system and a signal is generated. Monitoring includes generating a magnetic field that intermittently passes through the closed conductive loop. A sequence of values over time is extracted from the signal, the sequence of values representing the depth of the conductive material over time.

Inductive monitoring of conductive loops

A substrate for use in fabrication of an integrated circuit has a layer with a plurality of conductive interconnects. The substrate includes a semiconductor body, a dielectric layer disposed over the semiconductor body, a plurality of conductive lines of a conductive material disposed in first trenches in the dielectric layer to provide the conductive interconnects, and a closed conductive loop structure of the conductive material disposed in second trenches in the dielectric layer. The closed conductive loop is not electrically connected to any of the conductive lines.

Substrate features for inductive monitoring of conductive trench depth

Inductive monitoring of conductive trench depth

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Zhefu Wang