Method and apparatus for controlling material removal from a semiconductor substrate using induced current endpointing
US6579732B2 · kind B2 · utility
2Cited by
16References
26Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 20, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L22/12
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling the removal of material from a semiconductor substrate in an integrated circuit fabrication process is disclosed. The method and apparatus utilize a light source or charged particle beam (electron or ion beam) to induce a current in at least one P-N junction formed in the semiconductor substrate. The induced current is monitored during the removal of material and the process is stopped or endpointed in response to the induced current making a predetermined transition.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.