Sample Chemical Staining and Latest Generation SEM Imaging - Characterizing Process Robustness in Semiconductor Manufacturing

摘要

Physical characterization of individual process steps and their interaction with other processes is a key element during development as well as manufacturing of semiconductor technology. Electron microscopy, either SEM or TEM, is the method of choice for imaging. Customers of a physical characterization laboratory demand highest possible resolution as well as material contrast. Often they favor TEM over SEM due to the general conception of higher resolution. However, there are certain aspects of TEM, which hinder its use for process monitoring with fast turn-around and good cost-efficiency as needed in semiconductor foundry operations. Despite recent advances in the field, TEM sample preparation can be difficult and time-consuming, while the available sample area remains small, making it unsuitable for statistical evaluation of large quantities of features in the sample.