Locating defects in solid material

• US 5,981,949 A
• Filed: 11/03/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Mooney, Jonathan M., Chi, Maxwell M., Leahy, Darin J., Alexander, Michael N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Westin, Edward P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANIG, RICHARD E
• Application Number:
  US08/963,156
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330, 250/332, 250/341.4
• US Class Current: 250/332
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9505 Wafer internal defects, e.g. microcracks

Abstract

The invention provides method and apparatus for fast, accurate, and nondestructive imaging of defects and determining defect densities in solid materials including a semiconductor wafer. A wafer is illuminated on one side by an infrared (IR) source and a camera is placed on the other side of the wafer, to detect IR radiation that is transmitted through such wafer. The inventive method employs an imaging camera, e.g. a focal plane array camera, to image the so illuminated wafer. The wafer material must be substantially transparent in the camera bandwidth but can contain defects that absorb or scatter radiation in such bandwidth. Camera filters are used, for example, to select specific wavelengths or bands of wavelengths, to detect and image precipitates, subsurface defects, residual damage from polishing and other defects.

Claims

1. A method for locating defects and non-uniformities in a solid material that is otherwise substantially transparent to infrared (IR) light comprising,

a) placing an IR focal plane array camera before a source of IR radiation and spaced therefrom,

b) placing said material between said camera and said source,

c) activating said source to emit an IR beam that is transmitted through said material to said camera, said camera obtaining an image of said material and said defects without scanning,

d) processing said image and

e) outputting said image in a desired form.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said IR beam is diffused to illuminate said material more uniformly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said material is in the form of a wafer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said wafer is a semiconductor selected from the group consisting of Si, GaAs, InP, Ge, other elements of Groups III and V of the Periodic Table of the Elements, alloys thereof, at least one film thereof deposited on a substrate and multiple film layers thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said image is converted to a digitized signal and such signal is fed to a computer for storage and analysis.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wavelength of said radiation is selected or varied en route to said camera for mapping or analysis purposes.

7. An apparatus for locating defects and non-uniformities in a solid material that is otherwise substantially transparent to infrared (IR) light comprising:

a) a source of IR radiation,

b) an IR focal plane array camera mounted before said source and spaced therefrom,

c) means for placing said material between said camera and said source,

d) means for activating said source to transmit an IR beam through said material to said camera, which obtains an image of said material and said defects without scanning,

e) means for processing said image and

f) means for outputting said image in a desired form.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an IR diffuser is mounted between said source and said material.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an IR wavelength or band selection device is mounted between said source and said material.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said device is an IR wavelength filter.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an IR wavelength or band selection device is mounted between said material and said camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said device is an IR wavelength filter.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 having a magnifying means mounted between said camera and said material for viewing a small area thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said material is in the form of a wafer.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for outputting is a TV monitor.

16. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for outputting is a frame-grabber for digitizing the camera'"'"'s output image signal and means for feeding the digitized signal to a computer for storage and analysis thereof.