State-of-the-Art Characterization for 65 nm CMOS Processes and Beyond

• Main Authors: Hopstaken, Marco, Juhel, Marc, Gonchond, Jean-Pierre, Kwakman, Laurens, Wyon, Christophe
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1938-5862; 1938-6737
• DOI: 10.1149/1.2356292

Characterization of advanced CMOS devices and control of front- end of line (FEOL) processes require state-of-the-art analytical techniques and specific measurement protocols. Dynamic Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (D-SIMS) is well suited for in-depth quantitative analysis of both bulk- and dopant concentrations in GexSi1-x binary alloys. A similar D-SIMS protocol -in combination with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) - allows monitoring nickel-silicide phase transitions upon silicidation of (doped) Ni Totally Silicided (TOSI) gates. Combination of Low-Energy Electron X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (LEXES) and high-precision DSIMS provides accurate control of dose, junction depth, and wafer uniformity for Ultra-Shallow Junctions (USJ) at high analytical throughput, opening the way to USJ metrology. Similar techniques (LEXES, SIMS) are employed to control wafer uniformity of deposited NiPt metal films as Source/Drain (S/D) contact metal, to monitor NixSi1-x phase transformations and Pt-redistribution upon silicidation, and to determine root causes of defectivity at the device level (micro- AES). The given examples demonstrate the importance of having available (novel) state-of-the-art characterization techniques - pushing the analytical limits in terms of resolution, sensitivity, and accuracy while simultaneously increasing throughput and reproducibility- to support process development, improve yield, and to speed up yield learning of advanced CMOS processes.