PBS&T

Developing FIB GAE Recipes:

Practical Application of Unfinished Theory

Valery Ray
vray@partbeamsystech.com

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

Outline
Yield Enhancement and Milling Rate criteria for characterizing beam GAE processes Choosing beam raster parameters to maximize Milling Rate Numerical and image examples Conclusion
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GAE Recipe Development:

Dose Enhancement vs. Milling Rate
Established GAE theory (K. Edinger, JVST B 18(6) 2000 and is developed with emphasis on yield enhancement criteria
Microelectron. Eng. 5758, 2001, also I. Utke et. al. JVST B 26(4) 2008)

Miling rate is better suitable for practical applications:

Recipes with maximized milling rates are required for etching
High Aspect Ratio vias

Recipes with minimized milling rates are required for uniform

deprocessing of Cu with minimal dielectric over-etch

Recipes with highest ratio of chemical milling rate to physical

sputtering rate are required for high material selectivity
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GAE Recipe Development:

Yield Equation
Removed Atoms Incident Ions

Yield = ------- = ---------Jt

D

AR + AS

AR (Atoms Reacted) FAST, parameter-sensitive, not limited by aspect ratio. AS (Atoms Sputtered) SLOW, limited by aspect ratio J - Ion Beam Current Density tD Time of beam dwell within the pixel
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GAE Recipe Development:

Reactive Yield vs. Mill Parameters
Parameter and Limit Pixel Dwell 50 nSec Pixel Overlap ~0 Pixel Refresh 1~ 10mSec

Effect on AR
(Reactive Yield)

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

GAE Recipe Development:

Phases of GAE Within Dwell Point
Chemical reactions occur on pico-second scale FIB dwell times are 10s or 100s of nanoseconds

tD = tAR + tAS
High-Rate GAE within dwell point requires shortest practically possible dwell time

tD tAR , and tAS 0

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GAE Recipe Development:

View from the Dwell Point
GAE process is happening within dwell point Replenishment of gas begins when primary particle beam moves away from the dwell point Therefore refresh time of each dwell point (not the raster) is critical for gas replenishment

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

GAE Recipe Development:

Optimal Raster Time Raster time equivalent to optimal refresh time provides most efficient GAE

tRaster = tRefresh = i=0 Di t

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

GAE Recipe Development:

Refresh Time and Number of Dwell Points

NDP

tRefresh = ----------------tD(Min.)

Practical t D(Min.) for modern FIBs is in the range of 200nSec to 50nSec

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

GAE Recipe Development:

Via Size Defines Dwell Point Distance

L dX = dY = -------------------(Sqrt (N) - 1)
Dwell points are desirable on the edges of the via

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

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GAE Recipe Development:

Dwell Point Distance = Beam Size
For uniform orthogonal raster:

DBeam = dX = dY
Beam diameter equivalent to pixel distance ensures high reactive yield Corresponding beam current value is controlled by ion optics; diffused beam is desirable
02/24/2012 5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC 11

GAE Recipe Development:

Numerical Example of HAR Recipe
2m x 2m via in Si milled with Cl2 (tRefresh = 1 mSec) on system with minimal dwell 0.2 Sec: N = 1000Sec / 0.2Sec = 5000 pixels / raster Beam Diamter = dX = dY = 2m / (Sqrt(5000) 1) = ~ 30 nm Corresponding beam current depends on FIB system, but typically will be around 20pA to 10pA or even lower Beam current can be increased for low (less then 5:1) aspect ratio work (surface micromachining)
02/24/2012 5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC 12

GAE Recipe Development:

10:1 HAR Via Etching Example
6.2m 0.68m

Needle gas injector Trifluoroacetic Acid Precursor SiO2 substrate ~10min. etching time ~0.6um/min etching rate

0.67m

for 10:1 aspect ratio

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

13

GAE Recipe Development:

10:1 to 25:1 HAR Via Etching Example
Dose nC 8
7
All vias are 5m deep

Penta Dose Penta Time

Beehive Dose Beehive Time

Time min. 21:36

19:12 16:48 14:24

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

XeF2 precursor on SiO2 substrate

Flat ~0.7um/min milling rate with 12:00 gas concentrator for aspect 9:36 ratios 10:1 to 25:1 7:12
4:48

Proof of Concept test, milling small HAR vias with Beehive concentrator on FEI Vectra 986+ system
0.5 0.4 Contact, m 0.3
5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

2:24 0:00

0.2
14

02/24/2012

GAE Recipe Development: Cu deprocessing Examples

100nm Cu line cut over 100nm dielectric

Flat deprocessing through four layers of Dummy Cu

15

02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC

Conclusions
Milling rate criteria is better suitable for characterizing practical GAE processes Reviewing GAE process from the perspective of beam dwell point allows converting yield-based theory to ratebased practical applications

Rate-optimized GAE process establishes direct relationship between size of repair and beam diameter
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02/24/2012

5th FIB/SEM User Group Meeting, Washington DC