Patent ID: 7262409

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, comprising: forming at least a portion of an integrated circuit on a microelectronic device substrate using a fabrication process; preparing a test sample from at least the portion of the integrated circuit, comprising: exposing the test sample to a contrast solution comprising hydrofluoric acid, an inorganic acid and an organic acid, the solution forming a contrast between different regions within the test sample, wherein the inorganic acid is a strong inorganic acid having a pK a of about −1.0 or less and the organic acid is a weak acid having a pK a of about 4.5 or greater, wherein the inorganic acid is hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, perchloric acid, or sulfuric acid and wherein the organic acid of the contrast solution is butonoic acid, formic acid, or propinoic acid; and producing an image of the test sample to determine if the test sample falls within a specified parameter; adjusting the fabrication process to bring an integrated circuit produced by the fabrication process within the specified parameter if the test sample is outside of the specified parameter; and using the adjusted fabrication process to fabricate an operative integrated circuit.