Integrated CAD/CAM Process for Cost-Effective Flexible Manufacturing

Although x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (CPS) is an extremely valuable analytical tool for material characterization in semiconductor manufacturing, its use is limited by the currently available spatial resolution. The economical fabrication of ULSI circuits depends on in-situ non-destructive inspection tools with increasingly stringent spatial resolution and sensitivity requirements. This project will investigate using tapered x-ray capillary optics to decrease the area sampled during XPS by an order of magnitude without a decrease in sensitivity. X-Ray Optical Systems, Inc. proposes to combine tapered glass optics techniques developed for higher energy x-ray energies with a recently demonstrated ability to achieve high transmission efficiency with the appropriate energy range (1-1.5 keV) for XPS. The researchers and collaborators are leading figures in the development of capillary x-ray optics and cluster tool technology. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS: A successful outcome would lead to better in-situ real-time process control of ultra large scale integrated circuits. This would provide improved ULSI circuit performance and improved manufacturing yields.