 |
|
New infrared tool measures silicon wafer thickness
July 15, 2005In the last few years, semiconductor circuit features have shrunk to sub-100 nanometer (nm) dimensions, while the size of the thin silicon wafers that these circuits are constructed on has grown from 200 millimeters (mm) to 300 mm (about 12 inches). The payoff is a higher yield of finished devices from fewer wafers.
The tough part, however, is to make wafers substantially larger while simultaneously meeting higher quality control specifications. The optics and materials for "printing" nanoscale circuit lines require that the wafers used are perfectly flat and of uniform thickness. To help the semiconductor industry meet its 2010 quality control roadmap goals, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently developed a new instrument that accurately measures differences in thickness across a 300 mm wafer with an excellent repeatability of 5 nm. The researchers hope the tool, with further refinements, will allow them to establish a new calibration service for "master wafers" used in the industry to measure wafer thickness.
The NIST researchers will describe the instrument, the Improved Infrared Interferometer, or IR3 for short, at a technical conference* in late July. Like all interferometers, the IR3 uses intersecting waves of light to create interference patterns, which in turn can be used as a ruler to measure nanoscale dimensions. While most interferometers use red laser light, the IR3 uses infrared laser light. And unlike visible light, these much longer wavelengths pass right through a silicon wafer. This means that IR3 can illuminate the top and bottom on a 300 mm wafer and produce a detailed spatial map of differences in thickness in one pass. Conventional tools require spinning the wafer and measuring at multiple locations.
The NIST researchers make precision measurements of the wafer's index of refraction-the amount that light is "bent" as it passes through the silicon-as a critical step in correctly interpreting the interference patterns. Increased precision in the refractive index measurement will be necessary before "absolute" measurements of thickness rather than relative differences will be possible with the new instrument.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NI
The NIST researchers make precision measurements of the wafer's index of refraction-the amount that light is "bent" as it passes through the silicon-as a critical step in correctly interpreting the interference patterns. Increased precision in the refractive index measurement will be necessary before "absolute" measurements of thickness rather than relative differences will be possible with the new instrument.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NI
Semiconductor Current Events and Semiconductor News RSSEmpa scientists synthesize graphene-like material
Two-dimensional carbon layers, so-called graphenes, are regarded as a possible substitute for silicon in the semiconductor industry.
MIT: Better way to harness waste heat
New MIT research points the way to a technology that might make it possible to harvest much of the wasted heat produced by everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric powerplants, and turn it into usable electricity.
New study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene
First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire.
Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging
If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important-especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging.
JQI researchers create entangled photons from quantum dots
To exploit the quantum world to the fullest, a key commodity is entanglement-the spooky, distance-defying link that can form between objects such as atoms even when they are completely shielded from one another.
Working together to design robust silicon chips
Designers of high-speed silicon chips have often had to compromise on performance levels for their integrated circuit designs because of physical weaknesses appearing during design verification or even in production.
Understanding mechanical properties of silicon nanowires paves way for nanodevices
Silicon nanowires are attracting significant attention from the electronics industry due to the drive for ever-smaller electronic devices, from cell phones to computers.
Caltech scientists develop DNA origami nanoscale breadboards for carbon nanotube circuits
In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits.
New 'finFET' promising for smaller transistors, more powerful chips
Purdue University researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips.
Technology May Cool The Laptop
Does your laptop sometimes get so hot that it can almost be used to fry eggs?
More Semiconductor Current Events and Semiconductor News Articles
 |
The Essential Guide to Semiconductors by Jim Turley (Author) Semiconductors are the building blocks of computing. They are the electronic chips that are in every computer and device on the market. Cellphones, cars, computers (of all kinds), gaming systems, machines - anything with hardware has an electronic (or semiconductor) component. This is the professional's guide to the business and technology of semiconductor design and manufacturing. The semiconductor industry lends itself very well to a book of this kind. Just as the telecommunications area, the semiconductor industry is broad and complicated. There's a definite need for a book that explains the in's and out's of the technology and how it works - without bogging down readers with too much technical content. |
 |
Semiconductor Device Fundamentals by Robert F. Pierret (Author) Introduces and explains the basic terminology, models, properties, and concepts associated with semiconductors and semiconductor devices. Systematically develops the analytical tools needed to solve practical device problems. DLC: Semiconductors. |
 |
Physics of Semiconductor Devices by Simon M. Sze (Author), Kwok K. Ng (Author) The Third Edition of the standard textbook and reference in the field of semiconductor devices This classic book has set the standard for advanced study and reference in the semiconductor device field. Now completely updated and reorganized to reflect the tremendous advances in device concepts and performance, this Third Edition remains the most detailed and exhaustive single source of information on the most important semiconductor devices. It gives readers immediate access to detailed descriptions of the underlying physics and performance characteristics of all major bipolar, field-effect, microwave, photonic, and sensor devices. Designed for graduate textbook adoptions and reference needs, this new edition includes: A complete update of the latest... |
 |
On Semiconductor General Purpose NPN Leaded Transistor TO-92 BULK (Bag of 10) by On Semiconductor On Semiconductor General Purpose NPN Leaded Transistor TO-92 BULK (Bag of 10) |
 |
Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Second Edition by Robert Doering (Editor), Yoshio Nishi (Editor) Retaining the comprehensive and in-depth approach that cemented the bestselling first edition's place as a standard reference in the field, the Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Second Edition features new and updated material that keeps it at the vanguard of today's most dynamic and rapidly growing field. Iconic experts Robert Doering and Yoshio Nishi have again assembled a team of the world's leading specialists in every area of semiconductor manufacturing to provide the most reliable, authoritative, and industry-leading information available. Stay Current with the Latest Technologies In addition to updates to nearly every existing chapter, this edition features five entirely new contributions on… Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) materials and... |
 |
Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization by Dieter K. Schroder (Author) This Third Edition updates a landmark text with the latest findings The Third Edition of the internationally lauded Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization brings the text fully up-to-date with the latest developments in the field and includes new pedagogical tools to assist readers. Not only does the Third Edition set forth all the latest measurement techniques, but it also examines new interpretations and new applications of existing techniques. Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization remains the sole text dedicated to characterization techniques for measuring semiconductor materials and devices. Coverage includes the full range of electrical and optical characterization methods, including the more specialized chemical and physical techniques.... |
 |
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology by Michael Quirk (Author), Julian Serda (Author) For the introductory course in Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. This text introduces the terminology, concepts, processes, products, and equipment commonly used in the manufacture of ultra-large-scale integrated (ULSI) semiconductors. The book provides helpful, up-to-date technical information about semiconductor manufacturing and strikes an effective balance between the process and equipment technology found in wafer fabrications. |
 |
Worlds in Flux Starring: Semiconductor |
 |
Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology, 2nd Edition by Simon M. Sze (Author) This book is an introduction to the physical principles of modern semiconductor devices and their advanced fabrication technology. It begins with a brief historical review of major devices and key technologies and is then divided into three sections: semiconductor material properties, physics of semiconductor devices and processing technology to fabricate these semiconductor devices. |
 |
The Physics of Semiconductors: An Introduction Including Devices and Nanophysics by Marius Grundmann (Author) The Physics of Semiconductors provides material for a comprehensive upper-level-undergraduate and graduate course on the subject, guiding readers to the point where they can choose a special topic and begin supervised research. The textbook provides a balance between essential aspects of solid-state and semiconductor physics, on the one hand, and the principles of various semiconductor devices and their applications in electronic and photonic devices, on the other. It highlights many practical aspects of semiconductors such as alloys, strain, heterostructures, nanostructures, that are necessary in modern semiconductor research but typically omitted in textbooks. For the interested reader some additional advanced topics are included, such as Bragg mirrors, resonators, polarized and... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |