&lt;title&gt;Implementation of automated macro after develop inspection in a production lithography process&lt;/title&gt;

Yanof, Arnold W.; Plachecki, Vincent E.; Fischer, Frank W.; Cusacovich, Marcelo; Nelson, Christopher E.; Merrill, Mark Andrew

doi:10.1117/12.386520

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Missing via is a kind of serious defect in BEOL layers. It exhibits itself as missing holes during optical inspection, a normally method [1][2][3]. To improve optical contrast, such defect detection is usually done after etch and barrier metal deposition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic study of missing via mechanism and its solutions

Wang¹,

Huang²,

Wu³

2006

SPIE Proceedings

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Missing via has been a very annoying defect in semiconductor manufacture especially to foundry. Its solution can be rather attractive in yield improvement for relatively mature technology since each percentage point improvement will mean significant profit margin enhancement. However, the root cause for the missing via defect is not easy find since many factors, such as, defocus, material re-deposition, and inadequate developing can lead to missing via defects. Therefore, being able to know the exact cause for each defect type is the key to the solution of the problem. In this paper, we will present the analysis methodology used in our company. In the experiments, we have observed three types of missing vias. The first type consists of large areas, usually circular, of missing patterns, which are primarily located near wafer edge. The second type consists of isolated sites with single partially opened vias or completely unopened vias. The third type consists of relatively small circular areas, within which the entire via pattern is missing. We have first tried the optimization of the developing recipe and found that the first type missing via can be largely removed through the tuning of the rinse process, which improves the cleaning efficiency of the developing residue. However, this method does not remove the missing via of the second type, or the third type. For the second type missing via, we have found that it is related to local defocus caused by topographical distribution. To resolve the third type missing via defects, we have performed extensive experiments with different types of developer nozzles and different types of photomasks and the result is that we have not found any distinct dependence of the defect density to either the nozzle and mask types. Besides, we have also studied the defect density from three resists with different resolution capability and we found a correlation between the defect density and the resist resolution. It seems that, in general, lower resolution resist also has lower defect density and the results will be presented in the paper.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic study of missing via mechanism and its solutions

Wang¹,

Huang²,

Wu³

2006

SPIE Proceedings

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Comprehensive cost-effective photo defect monitoring strategy

Peterson

Stoller²,

Gudmundsson³

et al.

2001 IEEE International Symposium on Semiconductor Manufacturing. ISSM 2001. Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.01CH37203)

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The latest technology advances and new processes in the lithography area coupled with the increasing market pressures have placed greater demands on defect management. Thinner resists, new resist chemistries and tighter process windows along with shorter product life cycles and the need for faster return on investment create the necessity to focus more attention to defectivity. Fabs must detect, identifl and resolve defects in the lithography area before committing product wafers in order to be competitive. At present, the application of available advanced defect management technology in the lithography area has lagged compared to other areas in the semiconductor fab. Optimizing the defect management strategy with the large range of possible defect mechanisms and related yield impact that can occur within the lithography area is a relatively complicated task. With the variety of available defect inspection technologies, the capital and labor support costs associated with defect metrology and the ability to correct problems by rework, there is a need to approach the problem of defect management in a systematic manner to measure the cost effectiveness of the defect management strategy. In this paper the Sample PlannerTM cost model was applied to the full range of available defect inspection technologies and sampling strategies based on the commonly known defect mechanisms that occur in the lithography area. From this a recommended optimum sampling and monitoring strategy was obtained.

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<title>Implementation of automated macro after develop inspection in a production lithography process</title>

Cited by 2 publications

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A systematic study of missing via mechanism and its solutions

A systematic study of missing via mechanism and its solutions

Comprehensive cost-effective photo defect monitoring strategy

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