Patent ID: 7295022

Claim:
A method of determining one or more electrical properties of a semiconductor wafer or sample, said method comprising: (a) applying a CV-type electrical stimulus to a semiconductor wafer or sample having a dielectric layer overlaying a substrate of semiconducting material; (b) measuring a response of the semiconductor wafer or sample to the CV-type stimulus; (c) setting i=1; (d) determining from the measured response in step (b) a maximum capacitance Cox i of the semiconductor wafer or sample and a minimum capacitance Cmin of the semiconductor wafer or sample; (e) determining a flatband capacitance Cfb i of the semiconductor wafer or sample as a function of Cox i and Cmin; (f) utilizing the measured response in step (b) to determine for Cfb i a corresponding flatband voltage Vfb i of the semiconductor wafer or sample; (g) combining Vfb i and a predetermined overdrive voltage Voverdrive to obtain a starting voltage value Vstart; (h) setting i=i+1; (i) determining from the measured response in step (b) a maximum capacitance Cox i of the semiconductor wafer or sample corresponding to the value of Vstart; and (j) repeating steps (e)-(i) until: (1) a predetermined capacitance convergence criteria for Cox i and Cox i−1 is satisfied; and/or (2) a predetermined flatband voltage convergence criteria for Vfb i and Vfb i−1 is satisfied.