Multichannel process monitor for real-time film thickness and rate measurements in dry etching and deposition

Abstract

The versatile multichannel process monitor system, MPM- X, designed for the online control of plasma and ion beam etching and deposition is introduced. It provides a number of in situ process data like etch rate and selectivity, deposition rate, film thickness, uniformity and endpoint. This is achieved by an integration of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and optical interferometry, where no external light source is required. By using the plasma itself as a light source for the wafer illumination, a large number of wavelengths, ranging from the deep ultra violet to the near infrared, is available for the interferometric process control. The process control capabilities of the MPM- X system are demonstrated in this paper for various etch and deposition applications.