Patent ID: 6265729
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A technique for detecting and characterizing plasma-etch induced damage in an integrated circuit comprising:forming a plasma-etch effect test diode in a semiconductor substrate having a substrate conductivity, the semiconductor substrate having a silicon dioxide layer overlying the semiconductor substrate, the silicon dioxide layer having a thin silicon dioxide portion overlying an active device region of the semiconductor substrate and a thick field oxide layer in a field region, and the plasma-etch effect test diode having a conductivity opposite to the substrate conductivity doped into a diode region within the active device region of the semiconductor substrate, the diode region being fully contained within the active device region and removed from the thick field oxide layer in the field region;after plasma etching over an area of the semiconductor substrate, applying a reverse voltage across the diode with a first test terminal contacting the thin silicon dioxide layer completely overlying the diode region and a second test terminal contacting the thin silicon dioxide layer overlying the active device region outside the doped diode region, the reverse voltage being less than a breakdown voltage; andmeasuring a leakage current through the diode.