Real-time plasma etch process monitoring, based on sensors which measure plasma properties which directly relate to the desired wafer features, is critical to the future competitiveness of the U.S. microelectronics industry. This study reports work developing new optical sensors which would serve as a feedback loop for plasma process control by researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM). The aim of the research, funded by the industry/government consortium known as SEMATECH, is to create a nonperturbing sensor which exploits the information on process results (e.g. etch rate, uniformity, selectivity, etc.) present in plasma optical emission spectra. Both continuing work at UNM and new work at Lam Research Corp. are presented.

Date Published: 15 February 1994
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 2091, Microelectronic Processes, Sensors, and Controls, (15 February 1994); doi: 10.1117/12.167366

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2091:
Microelectronic Processes, Sensors, and Controls
Kiefer Elliott; James A. Bondur; James A. Bondur; Kiefer Elliott; John R. Hauser; John R. Hauser; Dim-Lee Kwong; Asit K. Ray, Editor(s)