Semitool, HYT/Pacific Scientific and MOS4YOU/Philips Semiconductors decided to investigate in close cooperation the process control and process optimization through particle reduction on a Semitool Magnum wet clean system, by use of an In-Situ Particle Monitor (ISPM). This is a new application for ISPM, for Semitool and for Philips. The goal of the cooperation is to evaluate the ISPM, to interpret the data generated and to improve the overall performance of the wet clean system. The ISPM detected wafers which were not cleaned properly as well as wafers which were not properly dry etched in a previous production step. Furthermore the ISPM allowed us to improve the cleaning process, by improving the cleaning cycle of the chemical. Hereby, the ISPM proved to be a valuable tool for process control and process improvement. As particles are the main source for yield loss,the impact of a particle reduction program on yield is straightforward.

Date Published: 27 April 1999
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 3743, In-Line Characterization, Yield Reliability, and Failure Analyses in Microelectronic Manufacturing, (27 April 1999); doi: 10.1117/12.346924

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3743:
In-Line Characterization, Yield Reliability, and Failure Analyses in Microelectronic Manufacturing
Kostas Amberiadis; Gudrun Kissinger; Katsuya Okumura; Seshu Pabbisetty; Larg H. Weiland, Editor(s)