Advanced X-ray diffraction metrology as a means of improving semiconductor device reliability

Reliability in many industries is often given lower priority than device performance or yield. Established unit process metrology is often inadequate to diagnose the root cause of product failures in complex manufacturing processes and a novel approach is required for issue resolution. This paper correlates measurements of crystalline texture and phase made by a fully automated X-ray diffraction tool to the reliability of Cu interconnects and gate oxide and source/drain contacts with nickel silicide metallization.