In-situ monitoring of conductive films on semiconductor wafers

• US 5,660,672 A
• Filed: 04/10/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barbee, Steven George, Li, Leping, Halperin, Arnold, Heinz, Tony Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Strecker, Gerard R.
• Application Number:
  US08/419,208
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 324/71.5, 324/229, 324/230, 324/231, 324/234, 324/236-239, 324/654, 324/655, 324/765, 324/207.16, 324/207.26, 156/626.1, 156/627.1, 156/345, 216/84, 216/86, 437/7, 437/8
• US Class Current: 156/345.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/105 for measuring thickness of coating

Abstract

The change in thickness of a film on an underlying body such as a semiconductor substrate is monitored in situ by inducing a current in the film, and as the thickness of the film changes (either increase or decrease), the changes in the current are detected. With a conductive film, eddy currents are induced in the film by a generating an alternating electromagnetic field with a sensor which includes a capacitor and an inductor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for in-situ monitoring of chemical-mechanical polishing a conductive film on a front side of a semiconductor wafer using a tool including a metal wafer carrier which holds the wafer by a back side opposite the front side, comprising:

a sensor positioned in the carrier proximate the back side of the wafer, the sensor including

(a) an inductor for inducing a current in the film by producing an alternating electromagnetic field proximate the film, and

(b) means for shaping the alternating electromagnetic field so that the field is unaffected by the carrier;

a capacitor electrically coupled to the inductor; and

detecting means for detecting a change in the current due to a change in the thickness of the film, the detecting means electrically coupled to the sensor and the capacitor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the current is an eddy current.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitor and the inductor are connected in parallel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes the capacitor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for shaping the alternating electromagnetic field comprises a ferrite pot core.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the sensor is embedded in a means for strengthening the sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the strengthening means comprises a phenolic tube and epoxy for sealing the sensor inside the tube.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the alternating electromagnetic field is produced by electrically exciting the sensor from an external source through an impedance means.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the impedance means is a resistor.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the impedance means is a combination of an inductor and a capacitor.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the external source is a sweep output from a spectrum analyzer.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the external source is a swept output from a function generator.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the film is decreased by removing a portion of the film.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein after the portion of the film has been removed, a remaining portion of the film entirely covers the semiconductor wafer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein after the portion of the film has been removed, the semiconductor wafer is at least partially exposed.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor wafer further comprises at least one underlying film under the conductive film.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the underlying film is conductive.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the underlying film is a metal selected from the group of metals consisting of Cu, Cr, W, Al, Ta, Ti, TiN, and combinations thereof.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the underlying film is magnetic.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the underlying film is patterned into a semiconductor device structure.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the film is the same material as the underlying film.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a metal polishing table for holding a polishing pad against which the wafer is held for polishing.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the metal polishing table has a shielding means on top of the table for limiting the penetration of the alternating electromagnetic field into the table.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the shielding means comprises a ferrite coating.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detecting means detects the change in the current by monitoring a signal change in the sensor resulting from an impedance-change due to the change in thickness of the conductive film.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detecting means detects the change in the current by monitoring a frequency shift associated with a resonant peak of the sensor due to the change in thickness of the conductive film.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the sensors are located at different locations proximate the semiconductor wafer for monitoring the removal of the conductive film on the semiconductor wafer.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the plurality of sensors are electrically connected in series.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the plurality of sensors are electrically connected in parallel.

30. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein each sensor is set to a unique resonant frequency.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the resonant frequency of each sensor is determined by a unique inductance.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the resonant frequency of each sensor is determined by a unique capacitance.

33. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the rate of polishing at different locations on the semiconductor wafer, the adjusting means coupled to the tool and to the detecting means.

34. An apparatus for in-situ monitoring of a process for changing the thickness of a conductive film from a front side of a semiconductor wafer using a tool including a metal wafer support means which supports the wafer by a back side opposite the front side, comprising:

a sensor positioned in the support means proximate the back side of the wafer, the sensor including

(a) an inductor for inducing a current in the film by producing an alternating electromagnetic field proximate the film, and

(b) means for shaping the alternating electromagnetic field so that the field is unaffected by the support means;

a capacitor electrically coupled to the inductor;

and detecting means for detecting a change in the current due to a change in the thickness of the film, the detecting means electrically coupled to the sensor and the capacitor.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the thickness of the film is decreased by etching.

36. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the thickness of the film is increased by electrochemical means.

37. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the thickness of the film is increased by vapor deposition.

38. The apparatus of claim 34 further comprising means for stopping the change in thickness of the film when a desired thickness has been achieved, the stopping means electrically coupled to the detecting means.

39. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the current is an eddy current.

40. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the capacitor and the inductor are connected in parallel.

41. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the sensor includes the capacitor.

42. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the means for shaping the alternating electromagnetic field comprises a ferrite pot core.

43. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the alternating electromagnetic field is produced by electrically exciting the sensor from an external source through an impedance means.

44. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein the impedance means is a resistor.

45. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein the impedance means is a combination of an inductor and a capacitor.

46. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein the external source is a sweep output from a spectrum analyzer.

47. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein the external source is a swept output from a function generator.

48. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the thickness of the film is decreased by removing a portion of the film.

49. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein after the portion of the film has been removed, a remaining portion of the film entirely covers the semiconductor wafer.

50. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein after the portion of the film has been removed, the semiconductor wafer is at least partially exposed.

51. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the semiconductor wafer further comprises at least one underlying film under the conductive film.

52. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the underlying film is conductive.

53. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the underlying film is a metal selected from the group of metals consisting of Cu, Cr, W, Al, Ta, Ti, TiN, and combinations thereof.

54. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the underlying film is magnetic.

55. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the underlying film is patterned into a semiconductor device structure.

56. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the film is the same material as the underlying film.

57. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the detecting means detects the change in the current by monitoring a signal change in the sensor resulting from an impedance change due to the change in thickness of the conductive film.

58. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the detecting means detects the change in the current by monitoring a frequency shift associated with a resonant peak of the sensor due to the change in thickness of the conductive film.

59. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein a plurality of the sensors are located at different locations proximate the wafer foe monitoring the removal of the conductive film on the semiconductor wafer.

60. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein the plurality of sensors are electrically connected in series.

61. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein the plurality of sensors are electrically connected in parallel.

62. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein each sensor is set to a unique resonant frequency.

63. The apparatus of claim 62 wherein the resonant frequency of each sensor is determined by a unique inductance.

64. The apparatus of claim 62 wherein the resonant frequency of each sensor is determined by a unique capacitance.