Patent ID: 9530617
Filing Date: 2016-12-27
CPC Classification: H01J,H01L

Claim Text:
1. A method, comprising: providing a semiconductor wafer having a surface region; performing a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) process that results in excess charge build-up corresponding to a pre-catastrophic charge condition on the surface region; probing the surface region of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether the pre-catastrophic charge condition is present on the surface region, wherein the pre-catastrophic charge condition is capable of damaging a semiconductor device or feature on the semiconductor wafer; and based on whether the pre-catastrophic charge condition is present, selectively inducing a corona discharge to lessen or neutralize the pre-catastrophic charge condition before the wafer experiences catastrophic damage, wherein the HDP-CVD process is carried out in situ with the probing and the selective inducement of the corona discharge within a hermetically sealed process chamber.