Characterization of thin oxide damage during aluminum etching and photoresist ashing processes

Plasma-induced damage can be simulated and modeled as damage produced by constant voltage electrical stress. The voltage produced by plasma process increases with the 'antenna' size of the device structure. Photoresist ashing is capable of degrading oxide integrity even more rapidly than Al etching. However, the stress voltage produced during ashing exhibits a large spread and is randomly distributed across the wafer. CV measurement is shown to be a more sensitive technique for characterizing plasma-etching induced damage than oxide breakdown.<
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