Quo Vadis total reflection X-ray fluorescence?

The multielement trace analytical method ‘total reflection X-ray fluorescence’ (TXRF) has become a successfully established method in the semiconductor industry, particularly, in the ultra trace element analysis of silicon wafer surfaces. TXRF applications can fulfill general industrial requirements on daily routine of monitoring wafer cleanliness up to 300 mm diameter under cleanroom conditions. Nowadays, TXRF and hyphenated TXRF methods such as ‘vapor phase decomposition (VPD)-TXRF’, i.e. TXRF with a preceding surface and acid digestion and preconcentration procedure, are automated routine techniques (‘wafer surface preparation system’, WSPS). A linear range from 10⁸ to 10¹⁴ [atoms/cm²] for some elements is regularly controlled. Instrument uptime is higher than 90%. The method is not tedious and can automatically be operated for 24 h/7 days. Elements such as S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Sn, Sb, Ba and Pb are included in the software for standard peak search. The detection limits of recovered elements are between 1×10¹¹ and 1×10⁷ [atoms/cm²] depending upon X-ray excitation energy and the element of interest. For the determination of low Z elements, i.e. Na, Al and Mg, TXRF has also been extended but its implementation for routine analysis needs further research. At present, VPD-TXRF determination of light elements is viable in a range of 10⁹ [atoms/cm²]. Novel detectors such as silicon drift detectors (SDD) with an active area of 5 mm², 10 mm² or 20 mm², respectively, and multi-array detectors forming up to 70 mm² are commercially available. The first SDD with 100 mm² (!) area and integrated backside FET is working under laboratory conditions. Applications of and comparison with ICP-MS, HR-ICP-MS and SR-TXRF, an extension of TXRF capabilities with an extremely powerful energy source, are also reported.     

Analysis of low Z elements on Si wafer surfaces with synchrotron radiation induced total reflection X-ray fluorescence at SSRL, Beamline 3-3: comparison of droplets with spin coated wafers

The unique properties of synchrotron radiation, such as high incident flux combined with low divergence, its linear polarization and energy tunability, make it an ideal excitation source for total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy in order to non-destructively detect trace impurities of transition metals on Si wafer surfaces. When used with a detector suitable for the determination of low energy radiation this technique can be extended to the detection of low-Z elements, such as Al, Na and Mg. Experiments have been performed at SSRL Beamline 3-3, a bending magnet beamline using monochromatic radiation from a double multilayer monochromator. The wafer was mounted vertically in front of the detector, which was aligned along the linear polarization vector of the incoming synchrotron radiation. This configuration allows the detector to accept a large solid angle as well as to take advantage of the reduced scattered X-ray intensity emitted in the direction of the linear polarization vector. A comparison between droplet samples and spin coated samples was done, in order to compare the capabilities of vapor phase decomposition (VPD-TXRF) with conventional SR-straight-TXRF. Detection limits in the range of 50 fg corresponding to 2E10 atoms/cm² have been obtained for Na. The spin coated samples, prepared from solutions containing an equal amount of Na, Mg and Al showed an unexpected result when performing a scan of the angle of incidence of the incoming X-rays suggesting a different adsorption behavior of the elements in a multielement solution on the wafer surface. The observation of this behavior is important because the spin coating technique is the standard method for the preparation of surface standards in semiconductor quality control. This effect could be characteristic of the Na, Mg, Al solution used, but the angle dependence of the fluorescence signal of a standard should always be investigated before using the standard for calibration of the apparatus and quantification.     

An optical study of the D-D neutron irradiation-induced defects in Co-and Cu-doped ZnO wafers

Room-temperature photoluminescence and optical transmittance spectroscopy of Co-doped(1×1014,5×1016,and 1×1017cm-2) and Cu-doped(5×1016cm-2) ZnO wafers irradiated by D-D neutrons(fluence of 2.9×1010 cm-2) have been investigated.After irradiation,the Co or Cu metal and oxide clusters in doped ZnO wafers are dissolved,and the wu¨rtzite structure of ZnO substrate for each sample remains unchanged and keeps in high c-axis preferential orientation.The degree of irradiation-induced crystal disorder reflected from the absorption band tail parameter(E0) is far greater for doped ZnO than the undoped one.Under the same doping concentration,the Cu-doped ZnO wafer has much higher irradiation-induced disorder than the Co-doped one.Photoluminescence measurements indicate that the introduction rate of both the zinc vacancy and the zinc interstitial is much higher for the doped ZnO wafer with a high doping level than the undoped one.In addition,both crystal lattice distortion and defect complexes are suggested to be formed in doped ZnO wafers.Consequently,the Co-or Cu-doped ZnO wafer(especially with a high doping level) exhibits very low radiation hardness compared with the undoped one,and the Cu-doped ZnO wafer is much less radiation-hard than the Co-doped one.     

SiO_2-CeO_2复合氧化物对硅片的抛光性能评价

用合成的S iO2-CeO2复合氧化物对单晶硅片进行抛光,测定其抛光速率与制备条件及浆料配制条件之间的关系。结果表明:经800℃煅烧后制得的硅铈摩尔比nS iO2∶nCeO2为2∶1的复合氧化物对硅片具有最大的抛蚀速率。与此同时,选用三乙醇胺和六偏磷酸钠分别作为浆料的pH调节剂和分散剂可以获得理想的浆料分散性和悬浮稳定性。确定了抛光浆料的最佳pH值和固含量分别为11和4%。     

硅电极/溶液界面开路电位-时间谱和原子力显微镜在化学镀Ag中的应用研究

用开路电位-时间谱技术,表征了在硅（100）表面化学镀银的硅电极/溶液界 面吸附态。所得结果与原子力显微镜在纳米尺寸上的面结构信息分析结果作了对比 。同时也将该结果与循环伏安法（CV）结果作了比较。证明当硅电极表面具有单层 吸附Ag~+离子、表面单层吸附Ag~+离子发生沉积反应、Ag~+离子发生本体沉积时的 开路电位-时间曲线有完全不同的特征。     

聚乙二醇类表面活性剂对硅表面无电沉积Ag膜光滑作用研究

应用原子力显微镜技术及开路电位～时间谱技术,研究了非离子表面活性剂聚乙二醇2000,6000,20000对硅(100)表面无电沉积银膜的光滑作用.实验表明硅(100)表面无电沉积银的光滑程度以及镀层的质量均随聚乙二醇聚合度的增加而变好.     

SiC单晶片的取向研磨

优质晶体生长常常需要籽晶或衬底偏离常规结晶取向.为便于按任意偏向角度研磨晶片,本实验室设计并应用了晶片取向研磨夹具及相应的研磨工艺.本文介绍了该夹具和工艺的工作原理、技术要点以及对技术指标的鉴定情况.测试结果表明,研磨取向误差范围可控制在5;之内,研磨片厚度偏差小于5 μm、粗糙度Ra=0.12 μm.     

半导体芯片化学机械抛光过程中材料去除机理研究进展

就国内外关于集成电路芯片化学机械抛光(CMP)材料去除机理研究的现状和进展进行了评述，总结了集成电路芯片常用介电材料二氧化硅以及导电互连材料钨、铝及铜的化学机械抛光研究现状和进展，进而分析了化学机械抛光过程中化学作用同机械作用的协同效应，指出关于芯片化学机械抛光的材料去除机理尚存在争议，因此有必要在CMP研究领域引入原子力显微镜和电化学显微镜等先进分析测试设备和相关技术，以便在深入揭示CMP过程中材料去除机理的基础上，为更好地控制CMP过程和提高CMP效率提供科学依据．     

超薄LiTaO3晶片的键合减薄技术

在制造红外热释电探测器阵列过程中，需要利用超薄钽酸锂(LiTaO₃)晶片作为红外热释电探测器件的敏感层。通常LiTaO₃晶片的厚度远厚于红外热释电探测器件要求的厚度，所以需要采用键合减薄技术对LiTaO₃晶片进行加工处理。键合减薄技术主要包括：苯并环丁烯（BCB）键合、铣磨、抛光、加热剥离、刻蚀BCB。加工后得到面积为10mm×10mm、厚度为25μm的超薄单晶LiTaO₃薄膜，晶片厚度、表面粗糙度和面形精度比较理想。测得了LT晶片减薄后的热释电系数为1.6×10^-4Cm^-2K^-1。得到的单晶LiTaO₃薄膜满足红外热释电探测器敏感层的要求。     

Adsorption of water on JSC‐1A (simulated moon dust samples)—a surface science study

JSC‐1a (a simulated lunar dust sample) supported on a silica wafer (SiO₂/Si(111)) has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The adsorption kinetics of water has been studied primarily by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and in addition by collecting isothermal adsorption transients. Blind experiments on the silica support have been performed as well. JSC‐1a consists mostly of aluminosilicate glass and other minerals containing Fe, Na, Ca, and Mg, as characterized in detail in prior studies, for example, at NASA. The particle sizes span the range from a few micrometers up to 100 µm. At small exposures, H₂O TDS is characterized by broad (100–450) K structures; at large exposures, distinct TDS peaks emerge, which are assigned to amorphous solid water (ASW) (145 K) and crystalline ice (CI) (165 K). Water dissociates on JSC‐1a at small exposures but not on the bare silica support. Coadsorption TDS data (alkane–water mixtures) indicate that rather porous condensed ice layers form at large exposures, with the mineral particles acting most likely as nucleation sites. At thermal impact energies, the initial adsorption probability amounts to 0.92 ± 0.05. It is evident that the drop‐and‐dry technique, developed in studies about nanoparticles/tubes, can be extended to obtain samples for surface science studies based on powders consisting of particles with rather large diameters. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.