2-DIMENSIONAL SPREADING RESISTANCE PROFILING - RECENT UNDERSTANDINGS AND APPLICATIONS

Conceptually the use of spreading resistance measurements for two-dime nsional profiling has been introduced two years ago. In the mean time our understanding has improved towards a better interpretation of the experimental results. A simulation program has been realized which all ows to simulate the spreading resistance scans along the specially bev eled surface. An ''in situ'' calibration procedure for measuring with high accuracy, the probe size and separation has been developed and a new formula, with less experimental involved parameters, for calculati ng the lateral spread has been derived. The technique has been applied to a study of the lateral diffusion of B as a function of annealing t ime. The effect of different masking material (polycrystalline silicon , thick oxide) has been studied. Other recent applications of this tec hnique include the determination of the lateral straggling of channeli ng implants and the lateral diffusion of transition metals.