在超大型積體電路製程演化中，當製程進入鑲嵌式（damascene process）的銅導線製程後，由於銅元素無法利用物理或化學反應，形成液相或是氣相生成物，並藉由生產機台抽離出反應環境。另外導入化學機械研磨（chemical-mechanical polish）製程之後，又會有許多製程研發及生產上的異常狀況，是很難用傳統一般鋁導線製程監控方式，即一般所謂的亮底及暗底（bright-field and dark-field inspection）晶圓檢測方式，來檢測製程生產上的問題。
因此吾人研究利用較新式之電子束晶圓檢測系統（e-beam wafer inspection system）。因為傳統之亮底及暗底檢驗系統均只能檢測出晶圓生產中，表面上之生產缺陷。而電子束檢測則可以利用電場之控制、即電壓與電流之調整，針對每一種條件的晶圓表面，完成掃描式電子顯微鏡（SEM）gun column的最佳化設定。經過晶圓表面的SEM檢測後，由接收器收集反射電子訊號的強弱，發現晶圓製程中非表面的一些缺陷，大大降低了晶圓在製程研發及量產監控上之時程以及成本。
本論文詳細報導吾人研究電子束晶圓檢驗，在超大型積體電路奈米製程開發、及異常監控應用的成果。並以90奈米之後段製程開發以及65奈米之前段製程檢測上應用為例，探討實際應用的例子，並敘述未來可能之挑戰與展望。

The IC process shrink into deep sub-micron regime, metal film changes from Al to Cu process. The Cu film can’t etch by physical or chemical process to form gas or liquid phase and exhaust from reaction chamber. There are many new issues happen in Cu damascene process such as Cu CMP process (chemical-mechanical polish) that can’t monitor the abnormal excursion both in research-development (RD) or mass production by conventional wafer inspection system including bright-field (BF) and dark-field (DF) tool.
Because of the BF and DF tool can detect the defects or abnormal cases only on wafer surface due to their characteristics. We implement e-beam wafer inspection system to catch the abnormal cases underneath the Cu surface in damascene process. Through the SEM (scanning electron microscope) gun column condition optimization that including electron field adjustment for different kind of wafer surface condition, we can get the electron signal from collector to identify the defect site. It will save much time for analyze the process issue and time-to-result both in RD and production stage.
This thesis will introduce the wafer e-beam inspection tool and principles. Discuss with real application cases result both in 90nm back-end (BE) process development and 65nm front-end (FE) production monitoring. We will describe related future industrial trend and challenges in last chapter.

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