Non-contact tunnelling field measurement for a semiconductor oxide layer

• US 6,097,196 A
• Filed: 04/23/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Keithley Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Keithley Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Horner, Gregory S., Miller, Tom G., Verkuil, Roger L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Snow, Walter E.
• Application Number:
  US08/841,501
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 324/750, 324/765, 324/766, 324/767, 250/492.2
• US Class Current: 324/754.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2648 Characterising semiconductor materials testing of materials or semi-finished products G01R31/2831; testing during manufacture H01L22/00

Abstract

A corona source is used to repetitively apply charge to an oxide layer on a semiconductor. A Kelvin probe is used to measure the resulting voltage across the layer. The tunneling field is determined based on the value of voltage at which the voltage measurement saturates.

Claims

1. A method for measuring tunneling field for an oxide layer on a semiconductor wafer, said method comprising:

(a) moving a corona gun over said wafer and depositing an increment of corona charge on said layer;

(b) moving a Kelvin probe over said wafer and measuring a voltage across said layer with said Kelvin probe;

(c) pausing an increment of time;

(d) repeating steps b and c until said voltage saturates; and

(e) using said saturation voltage to determine said tunneling field.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

making a calibrating work function voltage measurement of a known material; and

correcting said tunneling field according to said calibrating work function voltage.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

making a surface photovoltage measurement for said layer; and

correcting said tunneling field according to said surface photovoltage measurement.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising measuring an initial voltage across said layer with said Kelvin probe and forcing the potential of the oxide layer to zero by depositing an initial corona charge on said layer with said corona gun.