A comparative study of micropipe decoration and counting in conductive and semi-insulating silicon carbide wafers

Micropipes are considered to be one of the most serious defects in silicon carbide (SiC) wafers affecting device yield. Developing a method to count and map micropipes accurately has been a challenging task. In this study, the different etching behavior of conductive and semi-insulating wafers in molten potassium oxide (KOH) is compared. Micropipes and closed-core screw dislocations exhibit different morphology after etching and can be easily distinguished with a polishing process. Based on a new sample preparation procedure and a digital imaging technique, a novel method of efficiently and reliably mapping and counting micropipes in both conductive and semi-insulating SiC wafers is developed.     

Mechanism for convex corner undercutting of (110) silicon in KOH

The cantilever is fabricated on (110) silicon wafer by anisotropic wet etching method in KOH; the sidewall of cantilever is {111} plane, and it is vertical to the substrate. The convex corner is undercut, and the concave corner structure corresponds with the design. The mechanism of the convex corner undercutting is explained by the theory of covalent bond density.     

SiOF and SiO2 deposition in a HDP reactor: tool characterization and film analysis

A high density plasma chemical vapour deposition (HDP CVD) system based on electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma excitation for deposition of inter metal dielectric (IMD) is presented. With the system deposition of SiO₂ and SiOF has been performed. The influence of pressure, Ar content in the flow, total flow, bias voltage, microwave power on gap fill capability and growth rate has been investigated. A figure of merit, the product of gap filling capability and growth rate is defined. In addition measurements of the uniformity of the composition over the wafer of the deposited SiO₂ and SiOF layers were performed. The dielectric constant of the layers was measured on SiOF films with different composition. The stability of these SiOF films was also analysed. This was done by treating the films with moisture and measuring composition before and after this treatment.     

Integrated in situ monitoring of a metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy reactor for II–VI epitaxy

The focus of this paper is the integrated use of system and wafer monitors to obtain a complete picture of the growth process and to identify the major causes of variance. In situ monitoring of a growing layer of Hg_1-xCd_xTe using laser reflectometry has been compared with the outputs of various system monitors such as pyrometer, organometallic concentration, and flow. Differences between the expected and measured concentrations were corrected by initially adjusting the organometallic flows, and the remaining variance in CdTe interdiffused multilayer process layer thickness was then corrected by increasing the CdTe cycle time. The remainder of the layer gave a homogenized alloy composition of 0.256 for a target value of 0.258. This example shows how different in situ monitors have been integrated to give a comprehensive picture of the growth process, which were then related to known kinetic behavior. As a result of this monitoring, it was possible to identify critical parameters for control.