Patent · US Expired

Real-time in-line testing of semiconductor wafers

US7119569B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
81References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 5, 2004
Grant dateOct 10, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 13, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/2831
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring damage of an ion implanted semiconductor wafer during semiconductor processing. The method includes the steps of conveying the wafer such that a surface of the wafer is substantially parallel to a surface photovoltage electrode of a head assembly during the semiconductor processing and exposing at least a portion of the wafer to light having a wavelength, and an intensity and modulating the light intensity at a predefined frequency. The method also includes the step of varying the frequency of the light intensity modulation and detecting the surface photovoltage in response to light modulated at the various frequencies using the surface photovoltage electrode. The method then calculates an electrical property of the wafer from the photovoltage induced at the surface of the wafer at each of the light intensity modulation frequencies.

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