Apparatus for measuring grain sizes in metalized layers

Details Apparatus for measuring grain sizes in metalized layers Apparatus for measuring grain sizes in metalized layers

1990-12-07

1992-09-22

Nelms, David C.

Radiant energy

Photocells; circuits and apparatus

Optical or pre-photocell system

356335, G01N 2186, G01N 1502

Patent

active

051499789

ABSTRACT:
An apparatus (10) is disclosed for evaluating the size of grains in a metalized layer on a semiconductor sample (12). The apparatus includes a laser (20) for generating a probe beam (22). The probe beam is focused to a diameter of about one micron and scanned over the surface of the sample. Variations in the power of the specularly reflected beam are measured. In one aspect of the subject invention, the spacing between minima in the reflectivity signal is used to give a direct measurement of average grain size. The depth of the minima can be used to derive a distribution of the grain size. For very small grains, a statistical evaluation of the reflectivity signal is performed to derive grain size.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4112309 (1978-09-01), Nakazawa et al.
patent: 4373817 (1983-02-01), Coates
patent: 4626101 (1986-12-01), Ogawa et al.
patent: 4707610 (1987-11-01), Lindow et al.
patent: 4889998 (1989-12-01), Hayano et al.
patent: 4971445 (1990-11-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5038048 (1991-08-01), Maeda et al.

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