Patent · US Expired

Method for monitoring nitrogen processes

US6528433B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by

4References

12Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

Thomas Gartner · Hamburg, DE
Alexandra Lamprecht · Dresden, DE
Dietmar Ottenwalder · Dresden, DE
Jörg Schulze · Liegau-Augustusbad, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Jun 14, 2001
Grant date	Mar 4, 2003
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jun 14, 2021

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01L21/02337
WIPO fieldSemiconductors
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The novel method allows monitoring of nitrogen processes by making use of the fact that the incorporation of nitrogen near the surface in silicon, or in a thin silicon nitride layer on the silicon surface, inhibits the diffusion of oxygen during the subsequent thermal oxidation. Accordingly, the oxidation rate of the thermal oxidation is reduced and the growth of the oxide layer on the silicon surface is inhibited. The thickness of the oxide layer is thus used as a measure for the nitrogen content, i.e., for the quality of the nitrogen process.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.