6C-2 Use of SAWs for Sub-Micron Detection of Dielectric Damage in Interconnects for Microelectronics

The application of SAWs as metrology technique for the detection of densification damage to dielectrics upon interconnects manufacturing processes is proposed. The technique is applied on wafer-level to both blanket films and patterned damascene structures. The non-contact nature of this metrology enables in-line tuning of integration processes to keep both top and sidewall damage under control as thickness and width of the dielectric features are further downscaled according to Moore´s predictions