Method and apparatus for in-line oxide thickness determination i

Details Method and apparatus for in-line oxide thickness determination i Method and apparatus for in-line oxide thickness determination i

1997-01-31

2000-02-01

Dawson, Robert

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Chemical etching

Combined with the removal of material by nonchemical means

156345, 324671, C23F 100

Patent

active

060202645

ABSTRACT:
In-line thickness measurement of a dielectric film layer on a surface of a workpiece subsequent to a polishing on a chemical-mechanical polishing machine in a polishing slurry is disclosed. The workpiece includes a given level of back-end-of-line (BEOL) structure including junctions. The measurement apparatus includes a platen and an electrode embedded within the platen. A positioning mechanism positions the workpiece above the electrode with the dielectric layer facing in a direction of the electrode. A slurry dam is used for maintaining a prescribed level of a conductive polishing slurry above the electrode, the prescribed level to ensure a desired slurry coverage of the workpiece. A capacitance sensor senses a system capacitance C in accordance with an RC equivalent circuit model, wherein the RC equivalent circuit includes a resistance R representative of the slurry and workpiece resistances and the system capacitance C representative of the dielectric material and junction capacitances. Lastly, a capacitance-to-thickness converter converts the sensed capacitance to a dielectric thickness in accordance with a prescribed system capacitance/optical thickness calibration, wherein the prescribed calibration corresponds to the given level of BEOL structure of the workpiece.

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Patent Application Y09-96-013, filed Jan. 31, 1996, Serial No. 08/594,925.

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