APPLICATION NOTE
DISCUSSION
Ultra-clean surfaces are critically important to successful processing of semiconductor devices. Device failure can often be attributed to surface contaminants such as transition metals and alkali atoms. In order to control contaminants, it is necessary to identify and quantify them. Utilizing both TXRF and SURFACESIMS. XP provides the total solution with the best value for surface contamination measurements on semiconductor surfaces.
FEATURES OF TXRF
As a survey technique, TXRF provides high sensitivity multi-element surface contamination measurements at low cost.
Figure 1 TXRF spectrum of metallic impurities on Si wafer
FEATURES OF SURFACESIMS.XP
SURFACESIMS.XP provides (1) areal densities of surface contaminants and (2) information about the near surface depth distribution of contaminants. This represents an important advantage over TXRF, VPD-AAS, and VPD-ICPMS.
Figure 2 SURFACESIMS.XP depth profiles of Aluminum in Si
* These elements cannot be detected by TXRF or cannot be measured at practical levels. In some cases, spectral interferences prevent detection at low levels.
REFERENCES
Correlation between SURFACESIMS and TXRF measurements of surface metal contamination on silicon, S. P. Smith, J. Metz and P. K. Chu, in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS XI), edited by G. Gillen, R. Lareau, J. Bennett and F. Stevie.
(John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1998) pp. 233-236.
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