I
 n s
 i
 t
 u spatially resolved surface characterization of realistic semiconductor structure after reactive ion etching process

Oehrlein, G. S.; Chan, K.; Jaso, M. A.

doi:10.1063/1.341672

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Several research groups have constructed integrated plasma etching/surface analysis machines that allow samples to be moved under vacuum from the etching chamber to the analysis chamber. [147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154] This is usually done by moving the sample through a loadlock chamber with linear transfer devices. One such system is shown in Fig.…”

Section: Surface Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma etching: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Donnelly¹,

Kornblit²

2013

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

645

422

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The field of plasma etching is reviewed. Plasma etching, a revolutionary extension of the technique of physical sputtering, was introduced to integrated circuit manufacturing as early as the mid 1960s and more widely in the early 1970s, in an effort to reduce liquid waste disposal in manufacturing and achieve selectivities that were difficult to obtain with wet chemistry. Quickly,the ability to anisotropically etch silicon, aluminum, and silicon dioxide in plasmas became the breakthrough that allowed the features in integrated circuits to continue to shrink over the next 40 years. Some of this early history is reviewed, and a discussion of the evolution in plasma reactor design is included. Some basic principles related to plasma etching such as evaporation rates and Langmuir–Hinshelwood adsorption are introduced. Etching mechanisms of selected materials, silicon,silicon dioxide, and low dielectric-constant materials are discussed in detail. A detailed treatment is presented of applications in current silicon integrated circuit fabrication. Finally, some predictions are offered for future needs and advances in plasma etching for silicon and nonsilicon-based devices.

show abstract

Section: Surface Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma etching: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Donnelly¹,

Kornblit²

2013

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

645

422

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…15,16,[18][19][20] Figure 8 shows an example of XPS spectra recorded on oxide masked SiLK layers etched using the N 2 /H 2 gas mixture which, as shown previously, induces SiLK graphitization on blanket wafers. C 1s spectra are recorded with the charge neutralizer turned on and off and with the electron energy analyzer parallel to ͓Fig.…”

Section: B Experiments On Patterned Wafersmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…[15][16][17] XPS analyses have been carried out with the monochromatized x-ray source in different arrays of lines and trenches, blanket substrate, and unpatterned mask areas, using the geometrical shadowing technique. 15,16,[18][19][20] The special mask is designed to perform a chemical topography analysis by XPS of the tops, sidewalls, and bottoms of the features after etching. In this study, XPS analyses are performed in 0.5 m linewidth and 0.8 m space width, and 0.8 m equal line and space ͑L/S͒ structures.…”

Section: Experimental Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High density plasma etching of low k dielectric polymers in oxygen-based chemistries

Fuard

Joubert

Vallier

et al. 2001

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have studied the etching of low dielectric constant polymers in halogen-and sulfur-free chemistries under various plasma operating conditions. The polymer graphitization phenomenon, which corresponds to the transformation of the aromatic hydrocarbon network into an amorphous carbon backbone, has been fully investigated under several plasma conditions by in situ mass spectrometry and quasi-in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ͑XPS͒. Profile control in high aspect ratio contact holes is obtained thanks to the formation of a passivation layer on the polymer sidewalls preventing the spontaneous chemical attacks by the oxygen reactive species of the plasma. XPS studies show that the passivation layer only forms under conditions where the plasma induces a polymer graphitization. Strong correlations are observed between plasma conditions leading to the polymer graphitization, the presence of heavy carbon byproducts detected in the plasma gas phase, and the passivation layer formation.

show abstract

“…The use of XPS for the analysis of thin lines arrays has already been reported in the past. As early as 1998, Oehrlein et al used X‐ray or electron shadowing for selective area analysis on parallel lines arrays. Later, Czuprynski and Joubert used differential charging between bottom of contact hole and surrounding areas for the selective area analysis.…”

Section: Post‐etch Residue In Narrow Linesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The basic idea of these protocols is mostly based on the measurement of repetitive arrays of small features. This has already been introduced several years ago for XPS in different flavor: Oehrlein et al analyzed trenches in a stack with photoresist and SiO 2 by using photoelectron shadowing and differential charging of the different analyzed areas; Czuprynski et al analysed contact hole in borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) based on differential charging between the bottom of the contact holes and the top of the BPSG.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nano-scale feature analysis achieving high effective lateral resolution with micro-scale material characterization techniques: Application to back-end processing

Conard

Franquet

Vandervorst

2015

Phys. Status Solidi A

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Achieving higher performances of electronic devices was first realized by decreasing feature size followed by the introduction of new materials and the switch from planar devices to non‐planar ones. Unfortunately, many characterization techniques do not reach lateral resolution compatible with device sizes. This is the case for energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), or time of flight) secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐)SIMS. This, however, does not render these techniques useless for small size analysis. This is demonstrated in separate examples taken from back‐end of line processing. In back‐end, trenches to be filled with metal lines are etched. This process leaves residues on the surfaces that need to be cleaned. XPS is an adequate technique to analyze the chemical composition of (remaining) surface components but does not have the resolution needed to investigate single lines. By using periodic structures and a mathematical model, the composition of the top, sidewall and bottom of the trenches can be easily identified. Once formed, these trenches need to be filled with metallic copper. Due to the small size of the lines, the copper filling is prone to voids formation, which has to be avoided. A good estimation of the presence of void can be achieved using EDS while, intrinsically, the lateral resolution is typically significantly worse than the line dimensions.

show abstract

I n s i t u spatially resolved surface characterization of realistic semiconductor structure after reactive ion etching process

Abstract: Articles you may be interested inCharacterization of reactive ion etched surface of GaN using methane gas with chlorine plasma Metal-oxide-semiconductor characterization of silicon surfaces thermally oxidized after reactive ion etching and magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Plasma etching: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Plasma etching: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

High density plasma etching of low k dielectric polymers in oxygen-based chemistries

Nano-scale feature analysis achieving high effective lateral resolution with micro-scale material characterization techniques: Application to back-end processing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About