Full wafer defect analysis with time-of-flight secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

ToF-SIMS was used for defect and failure analysis on full wafers using KLA/Tencor maps for addressing selected defects for analysis. In the first case study, analysis of surface contamination is discussed. The analysis was performed in microscan mode for single particle analysis or in macroscan mode for large area analysis. In a second example, ToF-SIMS was used to identify particle type metallic defects from a P-type buried layer of BiCMOS transistors under 200 nm of SiO₂. The last case study discusses the detection of unintentionally implanted P in micron-sized polysilicon lines in the active punch-through area of a wafer.