Thin Film Metrology Using Impulsive Stimulated Thermal Scattering (ISTS)

Interconnect layers on integrated circuits are undergoing a great increase in complexity. At the same time, the semiconductor industry is undertaking a rapid introduction of new film materials such as copper and low-k dielectrics and is increasing its reliance on relatively new process steps, such as copper electroplating and chemical mechanical polishing. In bringing these new technologies is not In bringing these new technologies into production, it is highly desirable to monitor interconnect fabrication processes to ensure success. THis motivates the development of efficient techniques for interconnect metrology.