Quantitative TOF-SIMS analysis of metal contamination on silicon wafers

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is one of the most promising candidates for high sensitivity surface analysis, in line with the requirements reported by the 1997 Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) roadmap. However, the data quantification is not straightforward because of strong matrix effects and must be still completely developed. This work aims at obtaining TOF-SIMS calibration for the quantification of metals on oxidized silicon wafers. Standards with different amounts of various elements are prepared by dipping and spinning methods. TOF-SIMS results are compared with TXRF, VPD-AAS and other techniques. The required uniformity and reproducibility of the standards are discussed, as well as the TOF-SIMS experimental set-up and the sampling strategy for the comparison between different techniques.