SC Technology - Inspector 3000/3000P

Inspector 3000/3000P
Advanced Process Characterization for Lithography

Inspector Brochure, Front
1047kb Acrobat file

Inspector Brochure, Back
269kb Acrobat file

The Inspector Product Series

The Inspector series of instruments are designed for real-time, in-line measurement of film thickness, reflectivity or transmissivity. Probes and probe mounts are available for many commercial coat/develop systems making in-situ measurement easier than ever before. Additional software application modules are available for determination of Develop Rate data. Optional Hardware includes computer controlled motorized scanning stages to make uniformity measurements quick and easy. A combined deuterium/halogen light source extends the usable wavelength range down to 190 nm for advanced DUV process development and characterization (Standard halogen illumination covers the 480 to 900 nm range). In-situ or off-line, thickness, reflection or transmission, UV-VIS, whatever you require, we can provide the perfect solution.

ProLight Software with the LithoPak Applications Module

Thickness & Uniformity
The LithoPak applications module (provided with each Inspector System) extracts film thickness in real time - no waiting for off-line analysis for results. The scanning head makes uniformity measurements quick and easy, with a data rate of 20 Hz, a 100 point scan takes as little as 5 seconds. If the scanning head is positioned above a chill-plate, these measurements can be made with no effect on wafer throughput.

Photoresist uniformity across an 8” wafer. Variation less than 2 Å are easily observed.. The intensity vs. wavelength provide both the measured film reflectivity as well as the best fit to the data.

Trench Depth
The DepthPak applications module determines the depth of trenches in silicon wafers. The technique is noninvasive and determines both the depth of the trench and the thickness of the top layer. The wafer to wafer repeatability of the shallow trench depth is improved by endpointing the trench etch with the Inspector depth measurement or monitoring stability of the process with the off-line trench depth measurements.

Photoresist Characterization Recording time dependent data has never been easier. Determine the best bake time by watching the solvents evaporate. Measure develop time-to-clear to aid recipe development. Look at thickness vs time during develop to see if standing waves are present. Collect Thickness vs time plots of multiple exposures to input to our develop rate data analysis package, (DevPak).

Clear-point is easily determined in this multi-wavelength Intensity vs Time plot.	These thickness vs time plots illustrate the effect of exposure dose on develop rate.	Thickness changes during a photoresist bake due to solvent evaporation.

Accuracy The Inspector noise is less that 1 Å. The thickness accuracy is verified with a NIST traceable standard. The Figure below shows 20 consecutive measurements of the UV6 resist taken in one second with sub Angstrom repeatability	Database Automatic data logging into the SQL compatible database make SCP data collection easier than ever before. Data can be copied to the clipboard or saved as .CSV files for easy analysis and charting. With an optional network card, the software can log the data to remote computers as well.
Triggering & I/O The Inspector can be triggered in three ways: Manually, electronically and optically. All digital I/O channels are fully optically isolated. The inputs are compatible with both TTL and contact closure, while the outputs provide fully isolated TTL for signaling process completion as well as warnings due to process variation. Recipes can even be selected with fully isolated digital inputs. The optical trigger detects the presence of a wafer by looking at intensity changes. Trigger delays can be set so that acquisition doesn’t start until the wafer has been lowered onto the chuck or stage and the process step starts. The combination of remote data logging with the optical trigger means that every wafer can be measured with no user input.
	Intensity Equations Mouse functions and pop-up menus make the creation of wavelength functions simple and easy. The display to the right shows the intensities of four wavelengths and the film thickness as a function of time. Normalization and offset were all done within the equation editor. Equations can be named, saved, and associated with specific channels of any recipe.

Hardware Features
Illumination: Standard illumination is provided by a 10,000-hr lifetime halogen bulb, spanning a useful spectral range from 480 to 900 nm. A 480 nm long-pass filter prevents resist exposure during measurement. For those requiring an ultra-violet measurement system, the optional combined deuterium/halogen lightsource extends this range to 200 nm. A computer-controlled 5-position filter wheel ensures that the wafer is only exposed to the correct wavelengths.	Fiberoptics: Steel-jacketing is used to protect the plastic clad silica fibers. Standard fiber length is 10’, with longer lengths available as an option (we have provided fiber runs as long as 150 feet). For ultra-violet applications, high-transmission silica clad silica fibers reduce UV transmission losses to a minimum. The standard fiberoptic is a bifurcated bundle for reflectivity measurement, with custom fiberoptics (for transmission or special lengths) available with no increase in delivery times.
Optical Probes: Several types of optical probes are available. Standard inventory includes working distances from millimeters to feet and spot sizes from 1 to 20 mm as well as right-angle probes for confined working spaces. Probe bodies are made from anodized aluminum, Delrin and stainless steel. Standard optics are designed for the visible, and UV-grade fused silica lenses are used to maximize UV transmission when the optional deuterium/halogen illuminator is ordered. Custom solutions (special space requirements and working distances, spot sizes or vacuum fiberoptic feedthroughs) are available to meet your needs.	Probe Mounts: The Inspector 3000 can be used as a bench top instrument or integrated with the process tool for the in-line and in-situ measurements. The bench top instrument uses the motorized X-Theta stage for the precise mapping of the film thickness on the wafer. These measurements are facilitated with the intuitive Windows operating software. The in-situ and in-line installations use our compact light probes and fiber optics connecting to the Inspector hardware outside of the process chamber. The system can be set-up in the embedded mode with the master controller communicating with the Inspector through the Serial port. Measurement recipes are kept in the database and can be easily selected either manually or through the serial communication.

Advanced Develop Rate Applications Module

The first in a series of data analysis packages designed to increase the process characterization and development capabilities of the inspection system, the DevPak Applications Module uses the thickness vs time data as it’s input. The module makes lithography process development quick and easy. Dose to clear (EO), contrast and the rate parameter as well as rate parameters R1, R2, & R3 are calculated in the DevPak. Multiple file formats are supported, including .csv and ProLith, so the data can be easily exchanged with modeling, analysis and presentation software.

Specifications

Illumination

Wavelength
Lifetime
Filters

Halogen Only

380-950 nm
10,000 hr
Single 1/2" Dia.
Fixed
480 nm long-pass std.

D2/Halogen

200-950 nm
2,000/10,000 (D2/Halogen)
Five 1/2" Dia.
Computer Controlled
Motor Driven Wheel

Spectrometer

Range
Data Rate

200-1000 nm
40 Hz - 1 Hz

Thickness Measurement

Number of Layers
Thickness Range
Accuracy
Repeatability
Computation Time
Typical Film Materials

Up to 4 layers
1000 A - 50,000 A; thick photoresist 30,000 A - 100,000 A
+/- 5 A
< 1 A
>100 ms
Photoresist, Oxide, Nitride, Polysilcon

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