DETAILED EMBODIMENT

[0020] The present invention is described herein in the context of chemical-mechanical polishing merely as a specific example, and is not meant to limit applicability of the invention to semiconductor technology. Those skilled in the art will understand that the invention is broadly applicable to any process in which it is desirable to detect the endpoint for removal of a target film overlying a stopping film, by (a) removing the target film with a process that selectively generates a chemical reaction product with one of the stopping film and the target film; (b) converting the chemical reaction product to a separate product; (c) producing an excited gas molecules from the separate product; and (d) monitoring the level of light emitted from the excited gas molecules as the target film is removed.

[0021] It has been discovered that when chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate with a target film of oxide (SiO ₂ ) over a stopping film of nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ) with a slurry containing potassium hydroxide (KOH), a chemical reaction occurs when the interface 106 is reached, resulting in the production of ammonia (NH ₃ ). More specifically, the slurry used is a mixture of fumed silica, water, and KOH, with a pH of about 10.5. When polishing oxide, the following reaction occurs:

SiO ₂ +2 KOH+H ₂ O→K ₂ SiO ₃ +2 H ₂ O

[0022] When polishing nitride, the following reaction occurs:

Si ₃ N ₄ +6 KOH+3H ₂ O→3K ₂ SiO ₃ +4 NH ₃

[0023] The ammonia produced is dissolved in the slurry, and because of the relatively high pH it exists primarily in the form of NH ₃ rather than NH ₄ ⁺ . Thus the presence of ammonia in the slurry indicates that the underlying nitride film has been reached and polished, and the endpoint for removal of the oxide film can be determined by monitoring the level of ammonia in the slurry. Once the endpoint is reached, the polishing should be stopped.

[0024] More generally, the endpoint for removal of any non-nitride-containing film overlying a nitride-containing film can be detected by monitoring the level of ammonia in the slurry. Conversely, the endpoint for removal of a nitride-containing film overlying a non-nitride-containing film can also be detected in a similar manner, with a marked decrease in the presence of ammonia indicating the endpoint.

[0025] Even more generally, the endpoint for removal of any film overlying another film can be detected by monitoring the level of a chemical reaction product in the slurry as a component of the slurry reacts selectively with one of the films (either the overlying or underlying film). The reaction described above producing ammonia will be discussed as follows but is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to that particular embodiment. In order to implement the above discovery concerning the production of ammonia in an environment suitable for manufacturing, in-situ real time (i.e. while the wafer is being polished) slurry collection and sampling is required. Preferably, the collection and sampling provide a rapid response with high sensitivity (to ammonia) and minimizes the effect of interference from other substances in the slurry and in the surrounding air.

[0026] In the current example, in order to detect and monitor ammonia in a gaseous form, thus enabling methods such as mass spectroscopy, slurry from a polishing apparatus is pumped through an ammonia extraction unit (not shown). The ammonia-containing gas stream can be analyzed and monitored for endpoint detection for removal of the target film. Gas phase chemical analysis, such as standard mass spectroscopy can be highly sensitive and have a fast response time, which would be desirable for endpoint detection. However, with slurry sampling, there is substantial interference from water vapor which is only 1 atomic mass unit (AMU) higher and present in abundance. During the electron impact ionization, water can lose a hydrogen resulting in a OH ⁺ ion which has a mass identical to NH3 ⁺ . Thus the ammonia signal from the slurry can be very effectively masked, and endpoint detection becomes impossible.

NITRIC OXIDE CONVERSION

[0027] The interference of the water fragment OH ⁺ can be circumvented by converting the ammonia in the ammonia-containing gas stream from the extraction unit (not shown) to a separate product which has a different mass than OH ⁺ , and indirectly detecting the ammonia by detecting the separate product. An example is converting the ammonia to nitric oxide (NO) using a catalytic converter.

[0028] An ammonia-containing gas stream enters catalytic converter 400 , for example an array of stainless steel tubing having a sufficiently large surface area for a sufficient amount of gas to be converted, which is heated to 800 C. The conversion, known as the Oswald process, is described by the formula

4 NH ₃ (g)+5 O ₂ (g)→4 NO(g)+6H ₂ O(g).

[0029] The carrier gas for the stream entering the converter can be dry air or other suitable medium, because the nitrogen isotope ( ₇ N ¹⁵ ) ₂ will not mask NO using the chemiluminescence method described below.

CHEMILUMINESCENCE

[0030] The phenomenon of chemiluminescence occurs when an excited molecule, produced by a chemical reaction, emits light in the transition from an excited high energy state to a low energy state. Chemiluminescence can be used to detect the presence of ammonia (indirectly by detecting nitric oxide) in this case according to the following:

(1) NO (g)+O ₃ (g)+NO ₂ ^* (g)+O ₂

(2) NO ₂ ^* (g)→NO ₂ (g)+hν

[0031] where the emitted light (photons) are detected by a highly sensitive photomultiplier within a selective spectrum (frequency/wavelength) range. More information on this process and a general method of use and an apparatus are available in FI9-98-062, Ser. No. 09/073,604, “Indirect Endpoint Detection by Chemical reaction and chemiluminescence”, by Li et al. and incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0032] For optimally sensitive chemiluminescence detection, the pressure of the reaction chamber for reactions (1) and (2) must be kept low. When the pressure in the reaction chamber is low the signal loss due to collisional deactivation may be minimized. It is assumed that the reaction chamber will be able to maintain an environment within the chamber that is conducive to the reactions taking place inside the chamber for the period of time necessary.

[0033] There are many separate modules in a device that detects chemiluminescence. One module is a carrier gas generator, module f in FIG. 1 . Module f generates the gas that is used as a carrier for the gas to be analyzed and forms the input to the catalytic converter, module a. A NO containing gas stream exiting a catalytic converter (Module a) then enters the reaction chamber, module c, through a flow restrictor (not shown), and is mixed with ozone, generated in module b, (which is controlled by another flow restrictor, which is also not shown) in the reaction chamber, module c. The ozone is produced by conventional means. In a preferred embodiment, a gas drier, module e, facilitates the formation of the ozone in the ozone generator.

[0034] In the reaction chamber, module c, NO and O ₃ react as shown above to produce excited NO ₂ ^* gas, which emits light in a broad band centered at 1200 nm. A light sensor, module d, preferably a very sensitive photomultiplier detects the emission through a color filter used to reject photons with undesired wavelengths. The light sensor is operated in photon counting mode and is controlled by microprocessor (not shown). There are several types of signals available from the Eco analyzer. In this embodiment of the present invention, an analog output signal is implemented for quick prototyping. The output signal is converted by the microprocessor from the raw counting signal. The computer monitors the analog NO chemiluminescence signal by an analog to digital conversion (for example with a MIO-16H-9 multifunction DAQ card from National Instruments) and controls the polishing process using an output connection to the polishing machine (not shown).

[0035] Note that the chemiluminescence method described is not restricted to use with monitoring the endpoint for CMP. If an overlying film is being removed from an underlying film by etching, for example dry etching (e.g. reactive ion etching), an underlying film (i.e. etch stop) may be selected which generates a marker chemical reaction product upon contact with the etchants. The reaction products of the etching process can be sampled by this method in order to monitor the level of the marker chemical reaction product.

[0036] Additionally, any apparatus developed would have to take into consideration the very limited free space within the current generation of polishing machines. There is minimal free area around the wafer being polished and therefore any chemiluminescence detector would have to either be very small or distant from the polishing machine. It is possible with the current invention to have the detector distant from the polishing machine. When the detector is distant from the polishing machine then it must be possible to continuously take samples and transport them to the detector. In a preferred embodiment, the chemiluminescence detection apparatus is at most about 8 meters from the polishing machine.

[0037] We disclose and teach an apparatus, a chemiluminescence detection apparatus (CLD), that is able to generally detect processes that involve producing ammonia and NO _x , (where x is 1 or 2). Specifically, we disclose an apparatus that is able to detect NO at the level required for endpoint and real time control of CMP processes. FIG. 1 shows a gas flow diagram for the embodiment of the instant invention, for use in detecting endpoint in a CMP process.

[0038] In FIG. 1 , the gas flow parameters, F 1 to F 5 , are identified. The parameters are controlled by the end user. Preferably, the carrier gas flow, F 2 from module f is high compared with the flow F 1 from the gas that is to be analyzed. Also in a preferred embodiment, the pressure of the gas at F 5 , flowing from module e and module f respectively, to module c, would be the lowest pressure in the system, prior to module g.

[0039] As stated above, a CLD may be divided into a number of components or modules. A CLD should minimally contain each of the following, which have been described above:

[0040] a) a catalytic converter (module a),

[0041] b) an ozone generator (module b),

[0042] c) a reaction chamber (module c), and

[0043] d) a light sensor (module d).

[0044] Optimally, a CLD would also contain:

[0045] e) a gas drier (module e),

[0046] f) a carrier gas generator (module f),

[0047] g) an ozone scrubber (module g),

[0048] h) a vacuum pump (module h), and

[0049] i) a silencer (module i).

[0050] Modules g-i treat the module c, reaction chamber, products prior to discarding the gases. It is preferable to treat the module c products so as to at least remove the residual ozone introduced into the system.

[0051] It should be noted that there are additional, unidentified, electronic components/sections that facilitate the communication between the different modules. The electronics may also include sensors, like temperature and pressure sensors, that insure that the modules are operating within specified norms. In a preferred embodiment the electronic components/sections would be controlled by a microprocessor. Also, in a preferred embodiment, the light sensor would feed information directly to a microprocessor which could arrest the CMP process when an endpoint condition has been detected. In a more preferred embodiment, the CLD would be able to interface with other components involved with the CMP process like the CMP control computer, probes and interface boxes. There are many configurations that the above identified modules could be arranged. The only restriction on the configurations is that the reactions in modules a, b and c flow in the order identified in FIG. 1 and with the inputs shown supra in FIG. 1 .

[0052] Two possible configurations are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B . FIG. 2A shows a CLD configuration where modules a-f are located at a distance from the polishing machine and are connected by an appropriate tubing scheme, like gas tubes. Preferably the distance is at most about 8 meters. The gas recovery modules, modules g-I, receive the gases from the reaction chamber, module c. FIG. 2B shows a CLD configuration where the catalytic converter (module a) is located at or very near the polishing machine and modules c, b, d, e, and f are located at a distance from the polishing machine. In this configuration, in addition to the tubing needed for the gas to flow between the polishing machines and the catalytic converter, module a, there must also be communication between module a and module b, c, d, e and f. In this case, the gas transportation can be accelerated significantly with long tubing. As in FIG. 2 A, the gas recovery modules g-i, recover the gas products from the reaction chamber, module c.

[0053] While the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, it is evident in view of the foregoing description that numerous alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the scope and spirit of the invention and the appended claims.