Optics: measuring and testing – Inspection of flaws or impurities – Surface condition
Reexamination Certificate
2005-11-08
2005-11-08
Lauchman, Layla G. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Inspection of flaws or impurities
Surface condition
C356S432000, C356S445000, C356S237200, C438S014000, C438S015000, C438S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06963393
ABSTRACT:
Any semiconductor wafer fabrication process may be changed to monitor lateral abruptness of doped layers as an additional step in the wafer fabrication process. In one embodiment, a test structure including one or more doped regions is formed in a production wafer (e.g. simultaneously with one or more transistors) and one or more dimension(s) of the test structure are measured, and used as an estimate of lateral abruptness in other doped regions in the wafer, e.g. in the simultaneously formed transistors. Doped regions in test structures can be located at regularly spaced intervals relative to one another, or alternatively may be located with varying spacings between adjacent doped regions. Alternatively or in addition, multiple test structures may be formed in a single wafer, with doped regions at regular spatial intervals in each test structure, while different test structures have different spatial intervals.
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Applied Materials Inc.
Lauchman Layla G.
Silicon Valley Patent & Group LLP
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