From Lab to Fab - In-line SIMS for Process Control in Nanosheet Gate-All-Around Device Manufacturing

This paper demonstrates the successful lab-to-fab transition of SIMS, with Statistical Process Control (SPC) based on in-line SIMS data. In comparison to traditional lab SIMS, in-line SIMS is optimized for automated wafer and measurement sequence handling and high throughput measurements in small areas. Key advantages are fast turn-around time, reduced scrap, increased yield, and the measured wafer can continue processing in the manufacturing line. We are demonstrating the benefits of in-line SIMS in the production environment for several use cases: matching and monitoring the long-term stability of epitaxy tools on monitor wafers, characterization of the Ge diffusion in multi-layer stacks stimulated by high-temperature annealing, and measurement of implant and dopant profiles on blanket and patterned wafers. Additionally, the characterization of the S/D epitaxy in a fully integrated nanosheet gate-all-around transistor architecture is demonstrated and discussed. The results are compared to off-line SIMS and alternative methods where available.