NSF Award
9460472
This Small Business Innovation Research Project will develop a Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) reflectance spectrometer for in-line monitoring and control of poly-silicon processes within a cluster tool. Advanced Fuel Research. Inc. (AFR) has patented and developed a FTIR based method which eliminates many of the problems associated with present techniques. 1) It can determine accurate real-time thickness for as-deposited poly-silicon film inside the cluster tool. 2) It can determine the real-time doping density in the poly-silicon film in nondestructive way; 3) It can monitor the thicknesses and doping density for poly-silicon processes on the product wafer directly; 4) It can determine the thicknesses of the cap SiO2 Layer and the thermal SiO2 layer, simultaneously and independently. A field test in the cooldown chamber of a Centura 5200 cluster tool at Texas Instruments demonstrated the ability of on-line wafer-by-wafer data collection. An ex-situ analysis of poly-silicon product wafers, achieved excellent results. A software package is developed based on this method, and the first commercial sale is to SEMATECH. This project will be led by Advanced Fuel Research, Inc. (AFR). Texas Instruments, Inc. (11) will be a subcontractor. SEMATECH will be a collaborator. Phase I will prove the feasibility of in-line monitoring during the poly silicon processes in a Centura 5200 cluster tool. TI will fabricate calibration samples. SEMATECH will provide samples from different IC manufacturing. AFR will measure the ex-situ film characteristics, and improve the analysis method and software. Field tests will be done at TI. Phase II will implement the monitoring techniques and demonstrate the improved reliability of the process.
