A new technique, MICROTHERM, has been developed for noncontact sheet r
esistance measurements of semiconductor wafers. It is based on the app
lication of microwave energy to the wafer, and simultaneous detection
of the infrared radiation resulting from ohmic heating. The pattern of
the emitted radiation corresponds to the sheet resistance distributio
n across the wafer. This method is nondestructive, noncontact, and all
ows for measurements of very small areas (several square microns) of t
he wafer. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.