AVS 47th International Symposium
    Manufacturing Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session MS-ThM

Invited Paper MS-ThM6
Integrated Metrology with Run to Run Control

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 10:00 am, Room 304

Session: Advanced Modeling and Control for IC Manufacturing
Presenter: P.R. Solomon, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
Authors: P.R. Solomon, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
P.A. Rosenthal, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
S. Bosch-Charpenay, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
J. Xu, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
W. Zhang, On-Line Technologies, Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
The semiconductor industry is moving to adopt copper/low-k interconnect technology, smaller critical dimensions and 300 mm wafers. Many of these changes require tightening of the process specifications. Introducing these changes while maintaining product quality and reducing costs is a formidable challenge. Especially important are low-k dielectrics, chemically amplified resist, FSG and BPSG films that require control of their chemical composition as well as thickness. Integrated metrology with run-to-run control can facilitate the introduction of these new technologies because of its ability to improve process control while at the same time reducing manufacturing costs. Such benefits can be achieved for most current process steps as well. This paper will review some early success stories for Epi silicon and CMP processes. The integrated metrology for Epi employs an FTIR based film thickness monitor with model based analysis, integrated onto the cooldown chamber of the cluster tool for 100 % multi-point measurement and control. The FTIR is also applicable to the monitoring of thin film chemical composition. While FTIR has been widely used in R&D environments, its application to mainstream production metrology and process monitoring on product wafers has historically been limited by: 1) the optical complexity of film stacks used in production, 2) sample-dependent backside reflection artifacts caused by substrates which are transparent in the infrared, and 3) the lack of robust models of the chemically variable optical constants of modern IC materials. These limitations have been eliminated in a series of recent FTIR technology advances. The paper considers these recent advances, how the technology is integrated with the processing tools, the operation of the system, the improvement in the product and the cost of ownership. The paper will also examine the metrology available for integration and the future course for making such technology widely available, including standards for integration and methods for delivering the technology.