In-situ monitoring of conductive films on semiconductor wafers
US5660672A · kind A · utility
96Cited by
25References
64Claims
0Family size
Assignee
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Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 10, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 26, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 10, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B7/105
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The change in thickness of a film on an underlying body such as a semiconductor substrate is monitored in situ by inducing a current in the film, and as the thickness of the film changes (either increase or decrease), the changes in the current are detected. With a conductive film, eddy currents are induced in the film by a generating an alternating electromagnetic field with a sensor which includes a capacitor and an inductor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.