Surface potential measurements of vacuum ultraviolet irradiated Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, and SiO/sub 2/

Vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV), generated during plasma processing of semiconductors devices can induce charge on dielectric materials. By exposing dielectric coated wafers to synchrotron radiation of varying energy, it is possible to separate the photoemission and photoconductive effects, both of which result in an increase in the surface potential of the dielectric. Maps of the surface potential induced on the dielectrics by VUV can be obtained by the use of a Kelvin probe.