Chamber Integration Kits for Near-process Measurement
Higher Throughput and higher yield through electrical characterization of wafers and Metal Layers
- Non-contact measurement
- Highly flexible
- Ex-vacuo, in-vacuo, ATEX and high temperature variants
Overview of Near Process Integration Options
SURAGUS offers several options to enhance cluster deposition tools with integrated measurement solutions
- Metrology Chamber – EddyCus® inline MCM
- Interconnection Module – EddyCus® inline ICM
- Sensor integration into handling area – EddyCus® SemiVac
- Smart link integration module – EddyCus® inline SLIM
- Load lock sensor integration – EddyCus® sensor XXS
- Imaging integration kit – EddyCus® map IK
Higher Wafer Yield and Higher Wafer Throughput
through high-speed measurements
because of no contact to layers
Higher Throughput
Better Device Performance and Improved Yield
through live improvement of process parameters because of in-chamber testing
Metallization Coater Sensor Integration
- Rotating domes carrying wafers
- In-situ measurement during metal deposition (Ti, Cu, Al, Ag, Au…)
- Measurement during wafer rotation
- Continues measurement with automatic wafer detection
Optical Coater Sensor Integration
- Rotating platform with glass substrates
- In-situ measurement during metal deposition (Ti, Cu, Al, Ag, Au…)
- Measurement during substrate rotation
- Sheet resistance logging over time
Inline Wafer Coater Sensor Integration
- Inline horizontal with glass or wafer substrates
In-situ measurement during metal deposition (Ti, Cu, Al, Ag, Au…) - Measurement during substrate rotation
- Sheet resistance logging over time
Cluster Deposition Tool Sensor Integration
- Wafer transfer from cassette to process and analytic chambers
- Wafer/layer characterization in test chamber dedicated to non-contact electrical metrology
Cluster Deposition Tool Sensor Integration
- Interconnection measurement module between handling chamber and deposition chamber for line profiles
Load Lock Sensor Integration Kit
- Sensor integration kit for load locks
- 49 measurement points or line profiles
EFEM with Imaging Integration Kit
- Sensor integration kit for automated wafer handling platform based on non-contact eddy current sensors
Gate Valve and Transfer Sensor Integration Kit
- Gate valve between the handling chamber and the deposition chamber, can be equipped with an integrated non-contact eddy current sensor for line profile measurement
Inline S2S Coater in Hot Environment
- Inline horizontal with XXS hot sensor integration
- Distance between the sensor and the substrat is at least 20 mm
Challenges Today
Vacuum and wet process fabs consume large volumes of test afers every month to verify sheet resistance and metal layer thickness, with each qualification cycle pulling 3 to 5 dedicated wafers through 5 to 7 reclaim steps and waiting 1 to 48 hours for offline four-point-probe results. This procedure has several implications, discussed in this edition.
Process Monitoring across:
PVD
ALD
CVD
Etch/RIE
CMP
3 Structural Challenges
3 Structural Challenges
Hours of Delay
Offline 4PP feedback arrives 1-48 h later. The tool waits idle or runs blind on real product.
Wasted Expense
Test wafer, storage, transportation, handling, floor space and 5-7 reclaim steps per cycle. 30-50 % of test wafers (careful industry estimate) exist solely for Rs verification, burning capital that never touches a product wafer.
Product Wafers Never Measured
Drift, edge uniformity and real film properties stay invisible. Test wafers differ from product in stress, nucleation and oxidation.
SEMI Standardization Timeline – Mature Measurement Physics
4PP and Eddy Current measurement have been standard for decades before appearing as SEMI standard in 2002. SURAGUS advancements in signal processing allow the measurement in wafer fly-by mode. The history is here:
SEMI MF84
4PP base standard
SEMI MF673
Eddy Current Rs
SEMI MF374
4PP epitaxial layers
SEMI MF1529
4PP automated wafer mapping
Using 4PP instead of Eddy Current is like using an analogue camera in the digital era.
For decades, sheet-resistance verification has meant the same workflow: pull a dedicated test wafer, push it to an offline four-point probe, and wait hours for an answer that arrives long after the product has moved on. In-tool eddy current measurement changes the location and the timing. The wafer being measured is the product wafer itself, inside the process tool, in vacuum, with the result available the moment the wafer moves.
It is the same shift the imaging world made a generation ago. With analog film, you framed the shot and waited days for the lab to develop it; with digital photography, the result appears the instant the shutter closes. The development time of your data has changed dramatically.
Seven Value Drivers – At a Glance
Scrap / Rework Cascade
H1
- Drift visible from wafer #1 – not hours later
- Lot-scale exposure shrinks to single-wafer exposure
Avoids whole-lot scrap events
Realtime Qualification
H2
- Tool qualification time: few seconds only with EC
- Tool usage is revenue-oriented, no idle period
Regain Lost Capacity
Priority Lot Confidence
H3
- Demonstrator lots fly blind today – EC gives data without stopping
- All hot lots verified in real time, every priority tier covered
Complete Control and Confidence
NPW Reduction
H4
- Category A wafers fully eliminated
- Category B retains the wafer, removes the 4PP step
Reduce Unnecessary Costs
Sheet Resistance Range Upgrade
H5
- Thin barriers (TaN, TiN at 2-10 nm) – 4PP unreliable
- Thick power metal (5-200 µm Cu/Al) – below 4PP sensitivity
Where 4PP fails, EC delivers
Edge Characterization
H6
- 4PP edge exclusion: 5-6 mm from film, 8-9 mm from wafer edge
- EC: algorithmic correction to the film edge itself
More Sellable Die
Real Product Wafer, Real Process Conditions
H7
A product wafer is not a test wafer. It carries different thermal mass, different warpage when processed hot, different surface chemistry, and different stress history. EC measures the real wafer, in vacuum, under genuine process conditions, before oxidation.