Method for in-situ film thickness measurement and its use for in-situ control of deposited film thickness

• US 6,762,849 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (LAM Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (LAM Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Rulkens, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US10/176,118
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 356/503, 356/630, 356/632, 356/492, 356/485
• US Class Current: 356/630
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/0625 with measurement of absorption or reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/0683 measurement during deposition or removal of the layer

Abstract

A method and system for real-time, in-situ measurement of a film being deposited onto a surface of a wafer in a tool during semiconductor, optical component and electro-optic component processing and manufacturing. The method and system include real-time, in-situ detecting and analyzing radiation within the tool which is reflected off a wafer surface and subsequently diffusely reflected off internal roughened surfaces of the processing chamber. The emitted radiation may be derived from the plasma within the chamber, or alternatively, an external energy source. In detecting and analyzing the radiation reflected off the internal surfaces of the processing tool, the instant method and system monitors the deposition process of the film and automatically controls the deposition of such film in response to the measurements taken.

Claims

1. A method for measuring film thickness on a substrate in a processing chamber both in real-time and in-situ comprising:

providing a processing chamber having roughened internal surfaces;

emitting a radiation within said processing chamber, said radiation directed toward and contacting a wafer surface having a film being processed thereon;

said radiation reflecting off said wafer surface and directing toward and contacting said roughened internal surfaces;

said reflected radiation diffusely reflecting off said roughened internal surfaces; and

collecting said radiation diffusely reflected off said roughened internal surfaces to measure a thickness of said film being processed thereon said wafer surface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said roughened internal surfaces within said processing chamber have a variety of shapes selected from the group consisting of dome-shaped, hemispherical, cylindrical, oval, square, cylindrical square, cylindrical parabolic and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said roughened internal surfaces are provided by a method selected from the group consisting of grinding, polishing, sand blasting, etching, and machining the internal surfaces of said processing chamber.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said roughened internal surfaces are provided by conformally coating internal surfaces of said processing chamber with a material having a naturally occurring roughness.

5. The method of claim 1 further including at least one optical view port provided at any location along a perimeter of said processing chamber for collecting said radiation diffusely reflected off said roughened internal surfaces to measure said thickness of said film.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said at least one optical view port has roughened internal surfaces to randomize directionality of incident and said diffusely reflected radiation.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said at least one optical view port comprises a window retracted into a small opening located at any location along the perimeter of said processing chamber.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said at least one optical view port further includes a protective means over an internal surface of said at least one optical view port to prevent deposition of said film thereon said internal surface of said at least one optical view port.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said film being processed comprises depositing a film thereon said wafer surface.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said film being processed comprises a etching a deposited film thereon said wafer surface.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said radiation is emitted from a plasma generated within said processing chamber.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said radiation is emitted into said processing chamber from an external radiation source.

13. A method for measuring deposited film thickness on a substrate in a deposition chamber both in real-time and in-situ comprising:

providing a processing chamber having roughened internal surfaces;

providing at least one optical view port at any location along a perimeter of said processing chamber;

providing a radiation source;

emitting a radiation within said processing chamber from said radiation source, said radiation directed toward and contacting a wafer surface having a film being deposited thereon;

said radiation reflecting off said wafer surface and directing toward and contacting said roughened internal surfaces;

said radiation diffusely reflecting off said roughened internal surfaces;

collecting said radiation diffusely reflected off said roughened internal surfaces using said at least one optical view port; and

analyzing a thickness of said film across said wafer surface based on said collected diffuse radiation.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said processing chamber comprises a deposition tool selected from the group consisting of a physical vapor deposition, a chemical vapor deposition, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and a high density plasma deposition.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein a degree of roughness average of said roughened internal surfaces at least equals a wavelength of said deposited film.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one optical view port may be located below said wafer surface for collecting said diffusely reflected radiation.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one optical view port may comprise a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, alpha-alumina and yttrium aluminum garnet.

18. The method of claim 13 further including a plurality of optical view ports located at a variety of locations along said perimeter of said processing chamber both above and below said wafer surface.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein said radiation source comprises a plasma generated within said processing chamber.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said plasma comprises a radiation emitting gas selected from the group consisting of helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, oxygen, fluorine, nitrogen, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, chlorine, bromine, hydrogen, silicon and ions thereof.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein said radiation source comprises an external radiation source emitting radiation into said processing chamber.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said external radiation source comprises a source selected from the group consisting of ultra violet, visible, X-Ray and near infrared radiation source.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein said film may be deposited to a thickness ranging from about 50 Å

to about 20,000 Å

.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein said deposited film comprises a film selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, fluorinated silicon oxide, phosphorus dope silicon oxide, boron doped silicon oxide, diamond-like carbon, polymers, silicon nitride, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride and carbon nitride.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein said collected diffuse radiation has a wavelength ranging from about 0.1 nm to about 5000 nm.

26. The method of claim 13 wherein said thickness of said film across said wafer surface is analyzed by calculating in parallel a plurality of wavelengths from a plurality of emissions reflecting off said wafer surface and diffusely reflecting off said roughened internal surfaces.

27. A processing chamber for measuring film thickness on a substrate in real-time and in-situ comprising:

a chamber body;

roughened internal surfaces of said chamber body;

at least one optical view port located at any location along a perimeter of said chamber body; and

a radiation source,

wherein radiation is emitted from said radiation source, reflected off a wafer surface and secondarily and diffusely reflected off said roughened internal surfaces of said chamber body whereby said diffusely reflected radiation is collected by said at least one optical view port to measure a thickness of a film across said wafer surface.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said roughened internal surfaces have a shape selected from the group consisting of dome-shaped, hemispherical, cylindrical, oval, square, cylindrical square, cylindrical parabolic and combinations thereof.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said chamber body comprises a material having a naturally occurring surface roughness to provide said roughened internal surfaces.

30. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said roughened internal surfaces comprise a material having a naturally occurring surface roughness conformally coating on internal surfaces of said chamber body.

31. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said at least one optical view port has roughened internal surfaces to randomize directionality of incident and said diffusely reflected radiation.

32. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said at least one optical view port comprises a window retracted into a small opening located at any location along the perimeter of said chamber body.

33. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said at least one optical view port further includes a protective means over an internal surface of said at least one optical view port to prevent deposition of said film thereon said internal surface of said at least one optical view port.

34. The apparatus of claim 27 further including a plurality of optical view ports located at a variety of locations along said perimeter of said chamber body both above and below said wafer surface.

35. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said radiation source comprises a plasma generated within said chamber body.

36. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said radiation source comprises an external radiation source emitting radiation into said chamber body.