IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Vacuum Science & Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session VST-ThM

Paper VST-ThM5
Low-pressure Capacitiance Diaphragm Gage Measurements and Characteristics

Thursday, November 1, 2001, 9:40 am, Room 125

Session: Pressure & Flow Measurement Instruments & Their Calibration
Presenter: S.A. Tison, Mykrolis formerly Millipore Microelectronics
Authors: S Lu, Mykrolis formerly Millipore Microelectronics
S.A. Tison, Mykrolis formerly Millipore Microelectronics
Correspondent: Click to Email
Low-pressure measurement is critical for many applications within the vacuum community. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors identifies a number of areas of process improvement required to meet the semiconductor device characteristics for the next five years. The requirements include better sidewall etch control and selectivity, processing of high and low k dielectric films and adequate process control to improve statistical process variations. Many of the critical processes occur at pressures below 100 mTorr where pressure measurement is most difficult. Traditionally, vacuum process measurements have been referenced to capacitance diaphragm gages (CDGs) sometimes called capacitance manometers. Characteristics of these instruments such as zero drift and mechanical creep, while being acceptable for higher range CDGs become more problematic for low-range CDGs where these effects become the major source of measurement error and process variability. This study evaluates the performance of three CDG designs which attempt to improve low-pressure performance. The data shows that maximizing the sensor sensitivity, may result in more mechanical drift and a balance between mechanical sensitivity and electrical gain is the optimum solution for overall instrument performance.