Abstract: The present disclosure provides an extended spectroscopic wafer characterization metrology that provides highly sensitive chemical bonding transformation information in the extended mid-IR region (e.g., 1 ?m-25 ?m). The extended spectroscopic metrology described herein utilizes both total internal reflection and transmission infrared spectroscopy with angle dependent spectroscopic acquisition to optimize high detection sensitivity for the measurement of fundamental chemical bonding vibrations and associated rotational-vibrational structure for fabricated film stacks and nanostructures on a wafer substrate that has been polished on the both sides.

Abstract: A wafer fabrication monitoring/control system and method is disclosed. The invention utilizes Multiple Internal Reflection Infrared Detection (MIR-IR) to provide a highly sensitive (sub-10 nm, in-situ, ex-situ) on-wafer monitoring and characterization apparatus and method. The disclosed system and method has many practical applications to the development of advanced microfabrication technologies for sub-32 nm node CMOS semiconductor devices and provides support for formulation design, photolithographic patterning, etching/ashing of photoresists, plasma reactive ion etching (RIE) for trench/via patterning of low k dielectric, bottom anti-reflective coatings (BARCs), etch stop layers, and minimization/removal of plasma-etch polymers, development/confirmation of wet cleaning formulations and effectiveness for post CMP and post-etch cleaning.