300 mm Wafer Development for Pattern Collapse Evaluations

Abstract

Over the past decade, many advanced drying techniques have been developed to reduce and prevent pattern collapse of high aspect ratio (HAR) structures after wet processing. However, different dimensions, profiles and materials of HAR structures used in literature make it difficult to compare the efficiency of different drying processes. In this work, standard 300 mm wafer test structures, characterization and analysis techniques have been developed for quantitative analysis of pattern collapse rate as a function of the intrinsic mechanical property of HAR structures. Such standardized single wafer evaluations are important for benchmarking different drying techniques.