The Geometric Parameter Measurement of Integrated Circuit
Integrated Circuit (IC) is one of the most important components of modern electronics. ICs are the integrated circuits manufactured by semiconductor technology and are composed of transistors, capacitors, resistors, and other components. In order to ensure the high quality of ICs, the layout of transistors, capacitors, resistors and other elements on the chip must be accurately and precisely controlling during the manufacturing process, which requires good geometric parameters measurement of the integrated circuit when chip size is shrinking.
Currently, the non-contact geometric parameter measurement used for ICs mainly includes optical printing scanning method, laser scanning method, X-ray imaging method, Ion beam Imaging method and ect.
The optical printing scanning method is one of the most common non-contact geometric parameter measurement methods used for ICs. It uses a two-dimensional detection system composed of a beam splitter, a photodiode and an optical detector to measure the distance between the two features on the chip. The main feature of this measurement method is fast, repeatable, and accurate. However, this method has the limitation that it cannot measure the features with a high contrast.
The laser scanning method for non-contact geometric parameter measurement of ICs is based on the principle of laser triangulation. A laser beam is directed at the surface of the chip, and the distance between two features can be measured from the angle at which the reflected laser beam travels. The advantage of this method is that it can accurately measure even small details of the chip surface. The disadvantages include expensive equipment costs and potential safety issues due to the use of lasers.
The X-ray imaging method measure the geometric parameters of ICs by photographing the chip components with X-rays. The advantages of this method are that it can measure features that cant be measured by other methods due to the high contrast caused by the X-ray radiation. But be aware that the X-ray radiation used may damage other components on the chip and change the results of the experiment.
In addition to the above methods, another non-contact geometric parameter measurement method used for ICs is Ion beam Imaging method. This method is mainly used to measure the surface roughness of integrated circuits. When the ion beam is steered onto the surface of the chip, the reflection of the beam is detected by the detected and used to measure the roughness of the chip surface. The advantage of this method is that it is accurate and powerful, and it can measure the roughness of the fine patterns at the corner of the chip.
However, regardless of the type of non-contact geometric parameter measurement method used, it is important to make sure that the measurement process is carried out in a stable environment with a temperature range that is close to the actual operating temperature of the chip. Otherwise, the accuracy of the measured parameters cannot be ensured.
In conclusion, there are several non-contact geometric parameter measurements used for Integrated Circuits (ICs). The optical printing scanning method, laser scanning method, X-ray imaging method and ion beam imaging method are the most common methods used for ICs measurement. However, for all of these methods, the accuracy of the measured parameters depend on the environment and the operation temperature of the chips. To ensure the accuracy of the ICs geometric parameter, it is important to keep the measurement environment stable and as close to the operating temperature of the chips as possible.
