Farhad Moghadam

Plasma-induced defect generation on silicon surfaces in HDP-CVD processing

The impact of the HDP-CVD process on Si surfaces has been studied. It has been shown that the sputter component in the process enhances the features and the detection of Si surface defects. These defects, 0.16-0.30 /spl mu/m in size, are correlated to other characterization techniques such as capacitance-voltage measurements, plasma damage monitoring, and photoconductance decay spectroscopy. We show that these defects are a result of the interaction between the energetic ions in the deposition process and the crystal-originated voids during the Czochralski crystal growth. We show how these defects can be modulated among different processing conditions. The learning has been applied to optimizing the initial steps of plasma deposition in the HDP-CVD process for shallow trench isolation and pre-metal dielectric applications. This work also underscores the importance of applying low information content sensors to the early detection and control of plasma damage in high density plasma applications.

Integration challenges at 0.15 μm Technology node

The latest National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS) shows the most aggressive trend in IC performance advancements to date. However, the NTRS projects a course that is two to three years ahead of current industry capabilities. This discrepancy is due to the unprecedented number of new materials being introduced - transmissions that typically require five to ten years of R and D and significant modifications to IC manufacturing environments. CLearly, the challenges presented by these accelerated material changes could greatly impact product quality and reliability. This paper addresses integration complexity and capacitance issues, plus the new algorithms, design techniques, and system and chip architectures needed to meet the technology milestones dictated by the NTRS. A fundamental understanding of the new materials and processes, combined with high-productivity tools, such as the Producer mainframe, will be required to enable optimized front and back end processing.