Method and apparatus for in-situ monitoring of plasma etch and deposition processes using a pulsed broadband light source

• US RE39,145 E1
• Filed: 06/26/2003
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Perry, Andrew, Mundt, Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenberger, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US10/603,740
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 356/503, 356630-632, 356445-448, 356/72, 250/559.27
• US Class Current: 356/630
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/0683 measurement during deposition or removal of the layer

Abstract

An interferometric method and apparatus for in-situ monitoring of a thin film thickness and of etch and deposition rates using a pulsed flash lamp providing a high instantaneous power pulse and having a wide spectral width. The optical path between the flash lamp and a spectrograph used for detecting light reflected from a wafer is substantially transmissive to the ultraviolet range of the spectrum making available to the software algorithms operable to calculate film thickness and etch and deposition rates desirable wavelengths.

Claims

1. A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma etch process of a water, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer; and

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter.

2. A process monitor according to claim 1 further comprising a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation.

3. A process monitor according to claim 2 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma etch process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter; and

a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation wherein the collimated optical radiation is incident normally to the wafer.

4. A process monitor according to claim 1 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma etch process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter wherein a spectrograph integration period is synchronized to the flash lamp.

5. A process monitor according to claim 1 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma etch process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter wherein a second signal representative of optical radiation reflected from the wafer during a period when the flash lamp is not emitting broad-band optical radiation is processed by the data processing element and subtracted from the first signal to determine a process parameter.

6. A process monitor according to claim 1 5 wherein a third signal representative of the intensity of the emitted radiation is processed by the data processing element to normalize the first signal.

7. A process monitor according to claim 6 wherein the normalized first signal is processed by the data processing element to determine the process parameter.

8. A process monitor according to claim 1 5 wherein the process parameter further comprises a thickness of a layer carried by the wafer.

9. A process monitor according to claim 1 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma etch process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter; and

a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation wherein the process parameter further comprises an etch rate of a layer carried by the wafer.

10. A process monitor according to claim 1 9 wherein the process parameter further comprises a process endpoint.

11. A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma deposition process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer; and

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter.

12. A process monitor according to claim 11 further comprising a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation.

13. A process monitor according to claim 12 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma deposition process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter; and

a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation wherein the collimated optical radiation is incident normally to the wafer.

14. A process monitor according to claim 11 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma deposition process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter and wherein a spectrograph integration period is synchronized to the flash lamp.

15. A process monitor according to claim 11 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma deposition process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter and wherein a second signal representative of optical radiation reflected from the wafer during a period when the flash lamp is not emitting broad-band optical radiation is processed by the data processing element and subtracted from the first signal to determine a process parameter.

16. A process monitor according to claim 11 15 wherein a third signal representative of the intensity of the emitted radiation is processed by the data processing element to normalize the first signal.

17. A process monitor according to claim 16 wherein the normalized first signal is processed by the data processing element to determine the process parameter.

18. A process monitor according to claim 11 15 wherein the process parameter further comprises a thickness of a layer carried by the wafer.

19. A process monitor according to claim 11 A process monitor for determining process parameters during a plasma deposition process of a wafer, the process monitor comprising:

a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter and wherein the process parameter further comprises a deposition rate of a layer carried by the wafer.

20. A process monitor according to claim 11 19 wherein the process parameter further comprises a process endpoint.

21. A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer; and

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter.

22. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 further comprising providing a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation.

23. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 22 A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter; and

providing a beam forming module operable to collimate the emitted optical radiation wherein the collimated optical radiation is incident normally to the wafer.

24. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 22 further comprising A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter and synchronizing a spectrograph integration period to the flash lamp.

25. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 further comprising A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter and processing a second signal representative of optical radiation reflected from the wafer during a period when the flash lamp is not emitting broad-band optical radiation and subtracting the processed second signal to determine a process parameter.

26. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 25 further comprising processing a third signal representative of the intensity of the emitted radiation to normalize the first signal.

27. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 26 further comprising processing the normalized first signal to determine the process parameter.

28. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 25 wherein the process parameter further comprises a thickness of a layer carried by the wafer.

29. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter wherein the process parameter further comprises an etch rate of a layer carried by the wafer.

30. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 A method of monitoring a process and for determining process parameters during a plasma process of a wafer, the method comprising:

providing a flash lamp emitting a broad-band optical radiation;

providing a spectrograph responsive to optical radiation reflected from the wafer;

providing a data processing element for processing a first signal from the spectrograph, the first signal representative of emitted optical radiation reflected from the wafer, and determining a process parameter wherein the process parameter further comprises a deposition rate of a layer carried by the wafer.

31. A method of monitoring a process as recited in claim 21 30 wherein the process parameter further comprises a process endpoint.