Metrology Solutions for Semiconductor Nano Structures

Semiconductor manufacturers rely on a variety of metrology tools to produce measurement results that help them control processes and identify device failures. However, now that many integrated circuits include three-dimensional interconnects or have layers that are only a few atoms thick, traditional measurement tools may not be able to provide sufficiently accurate measurements. Therefore, the applied measurement techniques are continuously challenged to provide the needed accuracy and precision in the (sub)nanometer/3D domain.

X-rays are non-contacting, non-destructive and because of their wavelength, very suitable to probe nanoscale features. Therefore, X-ray metrology is used in multiple processing steps in the semiconductor process.

X-rays are for example used for crystalline defect and metal contamination detection. Information on critical dimensions, film thickness, strain and composition in finFET logic and 3D memory structures are provided through X-ray analysis. As another example, X-rays measure the thickness and composition of ultra-thin metal layers and stacks.

Atomic Force Microscopy is a high-resolution imaging technique, measuring the surface topography up to atomic resolution. It gives information not only on the roughness of surfaces, but also on the shape of 3D nanostructures . There is a variety of scanning modes that enable nanoscale characterization of different material properties such as electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties.

This talk will highlight a variety of X-ray and AFM techniques and discuss their capabilities and applications in the nanoelectronic industry.