Method and apparatus for measuring minority carrier lifetime in

Abstract

A contactless apparatus for measuring contaminants in a semiconductor specimen (24) includes a tunable microwave generator (26) coupled by a coaxial cable (36) to a tuned narrowband microstrip antenna (38) that defines a through hole (72). The antenna is placed in near field relationship to the specimen to direct microwave energy toward a first specimen surface (44). This proximity provides a substantially more powerful microwave field than prior art systems, and the specimen comprises an impedance termination for the microwave path that includes the microwave generator and antenna, thereby rendering system measurements substantially immune to mechanical vibration of the specimen. A pulsed laser (42) directs optical energy through the antenna through hole toward the first specimen surface (44). The optical energy generates minority carriers within the specimen that begin to recombine upon cessation of each pulse. Minority lifetime decay affects microwave energy reflecting from freed holes and electrons in the specimen, which energy is coupled from the antenna to a detector (46) and preferably a computer system (48) that controls the system and provides signal processing of the detector output.