Wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array

• US 20040263190A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neil Benjamin
• Original Assignee: Neil Benjamin
• Inventors: Benjamin, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 6,972,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/750.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance

Abstract

A wafer integrated plasma diagnostic apparatus for semiconductor wafer processing system having a multiplicity of plasma probe assemblies arranged on a wafer in a planar array fashion such that one plasma probe assembly is in the center and eight more plasma probe assemblies are at intermediate positions such that they lie along the radius from the center to the corners; such corners forming four corners of a square box near the edge of the wafer. At each location and in each of the plasma probe assemblies, there are six possible probe elements having a relative geometrical area such that they are capable of making simultaneous measurements of both spatial resolution and real time measurement of different plasma characteristics at the wafer surface, such as: D.C. potential, A.C. potential, shading induced potentials, ion fluxes, ion energy distribution, and the electron part of the I-V Langmuir probe characteristic.

Claims

1. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array comprising:

a plurality of plasma probes;

the plurality of plasma probes comprising;

a larger sized probe;

four medium sized probes; and

a smaller sized probe;

wherein the larger sized probe has a geometrical area equal to the geometric area of the four medium sized probes; and

the smaller probe has an area which is very much smaller than any of the larger and medium sized probes.

2. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 1 wherein all of the plasma probes are Langmuir probes made from low impedance N-type Silicon.

3. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 1, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the larger sized probe and the smaller sized probe being plain probes.

4. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 1, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the four medium sized probes being patterned probes.

5. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array of claim 1, wherein the smaller sized probe has a geometrical area of about 0.25 mm squared.

6. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 4, wherein the patterning on the four medium sized probes constitutes four different aspect ratios.

7. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 1, wherein the smaller sized probe has a probe element area of about one (1%) percent of the geometrical area of all the larger sized probe and the four medium sized probes and the smaller sized probe combined.

8. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array comprising:

a plurality of plasma probes;

the plurality of plasma probes comprising;

a larger sized probe having a probe element area;

four medium sized probes each having a probe element area; and

a smaller sized probe having a probe element area;

wherein the probe element area of the larger sized probe is about equal to the combined probe element area of the four medium sized probes; and

the probe element area of the smaller probe is very much smaller than the probe element area any of the larger and medium sized probes.

9. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 8, wherein the probe element area of the smaller sized probe is about 0.25 mm squared.

10. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 8, wherein the probe element area of the smaller sized probe is about one (1%) percent of the respective probe element area of all the larger sized probe and the four medium sized probes and the smaller sized probe combined.

11. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 9 wherein all of the plasma probes are Langmuir probes made from low impedance N-type Silicon.

12. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 10, wherein all of the plasma probes are Langmuir probes made from low impedance N-type Silicon.

13. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 9, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the larger sized probe and the smaller sized probe being plain probes.

14. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 10, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the larger sized probe and the smaller sized probe being plain probes.

15. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 9, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the four medium sized probes being patterned probes.

16. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 10, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the four medium sized probes being patterned probes.

17. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array comprising:

a plurality of plasma probes;

the plurality of plasma probes comprising;

a larger sized probe;

four medium sized probes; and

a smaller sized probe;

wherein the larger sized probe has a probe element area equal to the probe element area of the four medium sized probes;

wherein the smaller sized probe has a probe element area of about one (1%) percent of the probe element area of all the larger sized probe and the four medium sized probes and the smaller sized probe combined.

18. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 17 wherein all of the plasma probes are Langmuir probes made from low impedance N-type Silicon.

19. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 17, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the four medium sized probes being patterned probes.

20. A wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array as in claim 17, the plurality of plasma probes further comprising the larger sized probe and the smaller sized probe being plain probes.