A wafer-cleaning module is disclosed for removing contaminants from a semiconductor wafer prior to measurement in a metrology tool. The cleaning module includes a heating chamber including a heater plate for heating the wafer by conduction. A separate cooling chamber is provided to cool the wafer. The system is controlled by a processor so the heating cycle, cooling cycle and the time periods between these cycles and the measurement cycle are uniform for all wafers.
A wafer-scale module includes a plurality of stacked wafers, each having a thin semiconductor layer disposed on a surface of the wafer, a plurality of wafer-scale integrated (WSI) circuits formed on the semiconductor layer and a plurality of nodes formed on the semiconductor layer. Each node provides an optoelectronic interface to an axial optical waveguide for high-speed optical interconnectivity between the WSI circuits and other integrated wafer circuit devices of the stack. A top plate is included and is disposed on the plurality of stacked wafer devices. A base plate, included for purposes of thermal dissipation, is disposed opposite the top plate such that the plurality of stacked wafers are sandwiched between the top plate and the base plate and all are assembled.
A memory (43) of a control unit (4) stores correction data (81) indicating a relationship between a decrement in a measurement value of a film thickness by removal of organic contamination adsorbed onto a substrate and an amount of adsorbed organic contamination corresponding to a difference between a true film thickness and the measurement. The difference is caused by organic contamination adsorbed onto the substrate before removal of organic contamination. In a film-thickness measuring apparatus (1), a calculating/measuring part 41 obtains a first measurement value of a film thickness on a substrate (9) using an ellipsometer (23), and further obtains a second measurement value which is affected by remaining organic contamination after organic contamination adsorbed onto the substrate (9) is removed by an organic contamination remover (3). A film-thickness calculator (42) obtains an amount of adsorbed organic contamination before removal of organic contamination based on the first and second measurement values and the correction data (81). A thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate (9) is accurately obtained based on the first measurement value and the amount of adsorbed organic contamination before removal of organic contamination.
Methods and systems for preparing a sample for thin film analysis are provided. One system includes an energy beam source configured to generate an energy beam. The system also includes an energy beam delivery subsystem configured to direct the energy beam to a sample and to modify the energy beam such that the energy beam has a substantially flat-top profile on the sample. The energy beam removes a portion of a contaminant layer on the sample to expose an analysis area of a thin film on the sample. One method includes generating an energy beam and modifying the energy beam such that the energy beam has a substantially flat-top profile. The method also includes directing the energy beam to a sample. The energy beam removes a portion of a contaminant layer on the sample to expose an analysis area of a thin film on the sample.
A wafer-cleaning module can remove contaminants from a semiconductor wafer prior to measurement in a metrology tool. A heating chamber and heater plate of the cleaning module can be used to heat the wafer by conduction, while a separate cooling chamber can be used to cool the wafer. The system is controlled by a processor so the heating cycle, cooling cycle and the time periods between these cycles and the measurement cycle are uniform for all wafers.
A system for analyzing a thin film uses an energy beam, such as a laser beam, to remove a portion of a contaminant layer formed on the thin film surface. This cleaning operation removes only enough of the contaminant layer to allow analysis of the underlying thin film, thereby enhancing analysis throughput while minimizing the chances of recontamination and/or damage to the thin film. An energy beam source can be readily incorporated into a conventional thin film analysis tool, thereby minimizing total analysis system footprint. Throughput can be maximized by focusing the probe beam (or probe structure) for the analysis operation at the same location as the energy beam so that repositioning is not required after the cleaning operation. Alternatively, the probe beam (structure) and the energy beam can be directed at different locations to reduce the chances of contamination of the analysis optics.
