REAL-TIME OPTICAL ANALYSIS AND CONTROL OF SEMICONDUCTOR EPITAXY - PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITY

Various optical techniques have been developed in the last few years f or real-time analysis of surfaces and near-surface regions during semi conductor epitaxy. These techniques are providing new insights into mi croscopic mechanisms of crystal growth and new opportunities for sever al levels of closed-loop feedback control of epitaxy, including contro l at the product (sample) level. The latter is made possible by new da ta-reduction algorithms that return the dielectric response of the mos t recently deposited material even if nothing is known about the under lying sample structure. Examples are provided, and opportunities and c hallenges discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd