Method of identifying film stacks based upon optical properties

• US 6,618,149 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Stirton, James Broc
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu T.
• Application Number:
  US09/827,534
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 356/445-447, 356/600-613
• US Class Current: 356/445
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity

Abstract

A method of determining the composition of a film stack using optical properties is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination comprised of multiple process layers, providing a wafer having a film stack formed thereabove, and illuminating the film stack. The method further comprises measuring light reflected off the film stack to generate an optical characteristic trace for the film stack, and determining the composition of the film stack formed above the wafer by correlating or matching the generated optical characteristic trace for the film stack above the wafer to an optical characteristic trace from the library, the optical characteristic trace from the library having an associated film stack composition comprised of a plurality of known process layers.

Claims

1. A method of determining the composition of a film stack, comprising:

providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination comprised of a known combination of process layers formed above a known grating structure;

providing a wafer having a film stack formed above said known grating structure;

illuminating said film stack and said known grating structure;

measuring light reflected off the film stack and said known grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said film stack and said known grating structure; and

determining the composition of the film stack formed above said known grating structure by correlating the generated optical characteristic trace for said film stack and said known grating structure to an optical characteristic trace from said library, the optical characteristic trace from said library having an associated film stack composition comprised of a known combination of process layers formed above said known grating structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination comprised of a known combination of process layers above a known grating structure comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination, each film stack combination being comprised of at least one of a layer of metal, a layer of polysilicon, a layer of silicon dioxide, a layer of silicon nitride, a layer of silicon oxynitride and a layer of photoresist material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a wafer having a film stack formed above said known grating structure comprises providing a wafer having a film stack formed above said known grating structure, each film stack being comprised of at least one of a layer of metal, a layer of polysilicon, a layer of silicon dioxide, a layer of silicon nitride, a layer of silicon oxynitride and a layer of photoresist material.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the determined composition of said film stack above said known grating structure is appropriate for a subsequent processing operation to be performed on said film stack above said known grating structure at a processing tool.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating an alarm if said determined composition of said film stack above said known grating structure is inappropriate for a subsequent processing operation to be performed on said film above said known grating structure stack at a processing tool.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein illuminating said film stack comprises illuminating said film stack using at least one of a spectroscopic ellipsometer, a reflectometer, and a scatterometer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces based upon at least one of a reflectivity, an index of refraction and a dielectric constant of at least some of said known process layers comprising said film stack combination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces comprises:

calculating an optical characteristic trace for each probable film stack combination; and

storing each of said traces in a library.

9. A method of determining the composition of a film stack, comprising:

providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination comprised of a known combination of a plurality of process layers formed above a known grating structure;

providing a wafer having a film stack formed above said known grating structure, said film stack being comprised of at least one of a layer of metal, a layer of polysilicon, a layer of silicon dioxide, a layer of silicon nitride, a layer of silicon oxynitride and a layer of photoresist material;

illuminating said film stack and said known grating structure;

measuring light reflected off the film stack and the known grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said film stack and said known grating structure; and

determining the composition of the film stack formed above said known grating structure by correlating the generated optical characteristic trace for said film stack and said known grating structure to an optical characteristic trace from said library, the optical characteristic trace from said library having an associated film stack composition comprised of a known combination of process layers formed above said known grating structure.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination comprised of a known combination of process layers formed above a known grating structure comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a film stack combination, each film stack combination being comprised of at least one of a layer of metal, a layer of polysilicon, a layer of silicon dioxide, a layer of silicon nitride, a layer of silicon oxynitride and a layer of photoresist material.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining if the determined composition of said film stack above said known grating structure is appropriate for a subsequent processing operation to be performed on said film stack above said known grating structure at a processing tool.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising initiating an alarm if said determined composition of said film stack above said known grating structure is inappropriate for subsequent processing operations at a processing tool.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein illuminating said film stack comprises illuminating said film stack using at least one of a spectroscopic ellipsometer, a reflectometer, and a scatterometer.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces based upon at least one of a reflectivity, an index of refraction and a dielectric constant of at least some of said plurality of process layers comprising said film stack combination above said known grating structure.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a library of optical characteristic traces comprises:

calculating an optical characteristic trace for each probable film stack combination above said known grating structure; and

storing each of said traces in a library.