Evaluation of an Auger electron spectrometer for 200 mm semiconductor defect review

Elemental and chemical microanalysis offered by Anger electron spectroscopy (AES) provides detailed elemental characterization of the typical films, particles and defects found in the ULSI regime. In this paper, an AES defect review tool (DRT) capable of accepting full 200 mm wafers is evaluated in a clean room installation to determine the performance and applicability of the tool to current in-line analytical needs of semiconductor manufacturing and process development. To meet these needs, an AES DRT most offer precise wafer positioning, maximum throughput and minimum contamination. The instrument under evaluation was a beta site installation of Me first SMART 200 AES DRT manufactured by Physical Electronics (PHI). The vacuum components were designed to accept large samples on a 200 mm wafer-capable UHV stage manufactured by Raith GmbH (Germany). Based on Mis evaluation, it was found that the SMART 200 has the potential to handle moderate production volumes and become a valuable tool for timely defect analysis and process monitoring. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.