Measurement standards for integrated circuit processing

Both yield and quality of silicon monolithic integrated circuits depend on adequate control at all stages of their manufacture. Such control depends on measurement at each step, beginning with the selection of the substrate wafer, process chemicals, and parts, through the fabrication, assembly, and packaging of the finished circuit. The American Society for Testing and Materials Committee F-1 has developed standards for tests which have been widely used in the exchange of materials at various interfaces in the electron device industry. Many of these can be readily adapted for in-process control as well as for materials and parts acceptance tests. These standards and the process by which they were developed are reviewed; the importance of both industrial participation and the technical support activities of the National Bureau of Standards in this development is indicated. The need for additional standards is emphasized.