Method for monitoring the rate of etching of a semiconductor
First Claim
1. A method of measuring the rate of etching of trenches on a substrate using interferometry comprising:
- transmitting onto the substrate incident electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength above the wavelength at which the trenches act as waveguides for the radiation;
collecting reflected electromagnetic radiation from the substrate;
detecting a repetitive pattern of maximum intensities and minimum intensities of the reflected electromagnetic radiation during the etching; and
determining the rate of etching based upon the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic radiation and the time period of the pattern.
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Abstract
A method of measuring the rate of etching of trenches on a substrate using interferometry is provided. The method comprises transmitting onto the substrate incident electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength above the wavelength at which the trenches act as waveguides for the radiation; collecting reflected electromagnetic radiation from the substrate; detecting a repetitive pattern of maximum intensities and minimum intensities of the reflected electromagnetic radiation during the etching; and determining the rate of etching based upon the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic radiation and the time period of the pattern.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of measuring the rate of etching of trenches on a substrate using interferometry comprising:
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transmitting onto the substrate incident electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength above the wavelength at which the trenches act as waveguides for the radiation;
collecting reflected electromagnetic radiation from the substrate;
detecting a repetitive pattern of maximum intensities and minimum intensities of the reflected electromagnetic radiation during the etching; and
determining the rate of etching based upon the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic radiation and the time period of the pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of determining the depth of trenches on a substrate using interferometry comprising:
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transmitting onto the substrate incident electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength greater than the cutoff wavelength for the trenches to act as waveguides for the radiation;
collecting reflected electromagnetic radiation from the substrate;
detecting a repetitive pattern of maximum intensities and minimum intensities of the reflected electromagnetic radiation; and
determining the depth of the trenches based upon the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic radiation and the time period of the pattern. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification