Dry etching endpoint monitor by scribe-line detection method.

Multivariate Endpoint Detection of Plasma Etching Processes

In plasma etching processes it is critical to know when the film being etched has cleared to the underlying film, i.e. to detect endpoint, in order to achieve the desired device performance in the resulting integrated circuit. The most highly utilized sensor technology for determining endpoint has historically been optical emission spectroscopy (OES), because it is both non-invasive and highly ...

Origin of Electrical Signals for Plasma Etching Endpoint Detection

To investigate the electrical changes observed at plasma etching endpoints, experiments were performed in an inductively coupled, rf-biased reactor, during CF4/Ar plasma etches of silicon dioxide films on silicon substrates. The rf bias current, voltage, and impedance were measured vs. time during etching. Simultaneously, a Langmuir probe measured the electron and ion densities, ion current den...

Segmental Semi-Markov Models for Endpoint Detection in Plasma Etching

We investigate two statistical-detection problems, change-point detection and pattern matching in plasma etch endpoint detection. Our approach is based on a segmental semi-Markov model framework. In the change-point detection problem, the changepoint corresponds to state switching in the model. For pattern matching, the pattern is approximated as a sequence of linear segments which are then mod...

Dry etching and sputtering.

Dry etching is an important process for micro- and nanofabrication. Sputtering effects can arise in two contexts within a dry-etch process. Incoming ions cause removal of volatile products that arise from the interaction between the dry-etch plasma and the surface to be etched. Also, the momentum transfer of an incoming ion can cause direct removal of the material to be etched, which is undesir...

Wet and Dry Etching Theory