E-beam inspection of SOI wafers for the evaluation of barrier nitride RIEe etching

This paper describes the technique of using electron beam inspection (EBI) for the purposes of scanning silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers for electrical defectivity. Using this methodology, we are able to inspect the wafer for reactive ion etch (RIE) process variation on tungsten local-interconnect levels. First, we will demonstrate that it is possible to detect electrically active defects on SOI technology through EBI. Results will then be shown that demonstrate the ability to find subtle etch variances with a KLA-Tencor eS31 inspection tool. Finally, we will describe a case study that illustrates the value of implementing this methodology