METAL ETCHER CHARACTERIZATION USING FLASH MEMORY CELL AS CHARGING SENSOR

Fully processed Flash Memory cells have been used to characterise wafe r charging damage in a Transformed Coupled Plasma production metal etc her. Wafers both bare and coated with photoresist were exposed to the plasma, and the actual process conditions were simulated by an Ar-refe rence discharge. Charging effects due to process parameter changes wer e evaluated, revealing a strong dependence on RF source configurations . The new methodology was demonstrated to be suitable for process cont rol and production monitoring.