Strain mapping in a nanoscale-triangular SiGe pattern by dark-field electron holography with medium magnification mode.

Recent years have seen a great deal of progress in the development of transmission electron microscopy-based techniques for strain measurement. Dark-field electron holography (DFEH) is a new technique offering configuration of the off-axis principle. Using this technique with medium magnification (Holo-M), we carried out strain measurements in nanoscale-triangular SiGe/(001) Si with (004), (2-20) and (-111) diffraction spots. The reconstruction of holograms and interpretation of strain maps in term of strain precision were discussed and the strain distributions in the SiGe/(001) Si patterns were visualized. Based on linear anisotropic elastic theory for strain simulation, the simulated results obtained by the finite element method compared with the experimental results acquired by DFEH. The strain values were found to be 0.9-1.0%, 1.1-1.2% and 1.0-1.1%, for the (004), (2-20) and (-111) diffracted beams, respectively, and the strain precisions were determined to be ~2.1 × 10-3, 3.2 × 10-3 and 9.1 × 10-3 for the corresponding diffraction spots. As a result, DFEH is highlighted as a powerful technique for strain measurement, offering high-strain precision, high-spatial resolution and a large field of view.

Chemical-mechanical planarization aided dimple etching for self alignment.

Through silicon via (TSV) technology is becoming a mainstream method of building 3-dimensional integrated circuits (3D IC). In particular, TSV Cu CMP is a critical process to remove excess Cu and makes a planar surface which requires a removal rate higher than 5 microm/min and a dishing lower than 0.3 microm. This paper focuses on the development of a new self-alignment method using dimples on the TSV Cu back surface. We tried to find an application potential of a bump-dimple structure for self alignment using a pretest tool of a solder ball array structure. Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) aided dimple etching is carefully studied as a key solution for deep and uniform dimple formation. The experiment shows that CMP is an excellent process to generate a clean oxide surface and a clear dishing on the Cu TSV, resulting in a seed for etching. Finally, etching realizes a uniform dimple depth of 7 microm to 9 microm in spite of changes of via diameter from 10 microm to 50 microm after only 15 sec etching.

Macroscopic and microscopic investigation on chemical mechanical polishing of sapphire wafer.

Sapphire (alpha-Al2O3) is an important ceramic material that is widely used in substrate material for electronics. We investigate the chemical reaction layer on a sapphire wafer using X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The frictional characteristics of sapphire chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) was studied using in-situ friction force monitoring system. From XPS analysis and AFM experiment, a chemically-reacted layer was verified on the sapphire surface through a chemical reaction between the sapphire and chemicals in a slurry. During sapphire CMP, the friction force mainly depended on the applied pressure. The material removal efficiency per unit friction energy in sapphire CMP was 6.18 nm/kJ.