Patent ID: 6864109
Filing Date: 2005-03-08
Classification: G01N,H01J,H01L

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a first multiplicity of semiconductor circuit features having a selected thickness; providing a plasma chamber and an OES (Optical Emission Spectroscopy) for monitoring light emissions; nitriding said multiplicity of semiconductor circuit features on said multiplicity of substrates in said chamber using a plasma; monitoring the light emissions in said plasma chamber during said nitriding of said multiplicity of semiconductor features; collecting intensity data representative of optical energy emitted at different wave lengths during said nitriding of said multiplicity of semiconductor features; determining the peak intensity at different wavelengths of said monitored light emissions over a selected period of time reached at a multiplicity of settings of at least one selected parameter controlling the plasma generated in the chamber and the correlation between peak intensity level and the concentration level of a selected component in said semiconductor feature; selecting a wave length of light having a strong correlation with the peak intensity level representative of a desired concentration level of said component in said feature of a semiconductor circuit and adjusting said at least one selected parameter controlling the plasma generated in a plasma chamber to a setting corresponding to said selected pea intensity level; nitriding another circuit having said semiconductor features with said selected thickness and monitoring the intensity level of said selected wave length of light during said nitriding of said another circuit; and continuing nitriding said another circuit until said intensity level of light emissions at said selected wavelength stops increasing, the intensity level of which said selected wavelength stops increasing representing the peak intensity level.