Intellemetrics Laser Etch Monitor Procedure for Panasonic ICP Etchers

Procedure for performing an etch with laser monitor endpoint on the Panasonic ICP etchers.

Demis D. John, 2019-05-15

1. Mount sample such that area to be monitored is located in the laser monitor's cutout window, as indicated by the Carrier wafer mounted to the tool and/or the glass slide showing the laser monitor location.
   1. The locations on ICP#1 and ICP#2 are different.
2. Load wafer into etch chamber
   1. ICP#1 Manual Load:
      1. {Test} Mode soft-button
      2. Remove all wafers from cassettes
      3. Place only your sample wafer in the bottom slot (#1) on left cassette (No. 1)
      4. Check that cassette is seated properly. It will not map the cassette!
      5. F6 Test
      6. F1 Wf. Trans.
      7. F1 Wf TRWIN ("Throw In")
      8. Confirm that Wafer #1 will be transferred into the E-Ch. ("Etching Chamber")
      9. {Start} soft-button
   2. ICP#2 Manual Load:
      1. {Test} Mode soft-button
      2. Place Carrier wafer in load slot
      3. Menu Test > Trans/Test > Transport > Wafer Load
      4. {Start} soft-button
3. Edit your ICP Recipe, make sure Step Time is longer than expected to stop using the Manual Box instead.
4. Laser Monitor Setup:
   1. Launch "uEye" Camera software.
      1. Start Camera feed
      2. Enable "Auto Contrast"
      3. Enable "Fit to Window"
   2. Turn on Illumination on laser head.
   3. Plug in Laser Interlock to turn on laser (RF connector on keychain)
      1. Should see laser spot on wafer immediately. Can only see laser spot if a wafer is in the chamber, and laser is projected through the cutouts in the chamber heaters/casing.
   4. Adjust focus (small changes only), to minimize size of laser spot.
   5. GREY knobs ONLY to adjust X/Y. Place Laser on region to be monitored.
      1. Do NOT adjust the Black tilt knobs! If you are not an optics guru, then you usually will only make a mess of this.
   6. Launch "Etch Director 2" Laser monitoring software
      1. Check that Signal level is live (non-zero). Can block laser head with hand to ensure signal shows dramatic change.
      2. Make sure "Endpoint" panel does Not have "Accept" or "Auto Go" checked on any of the Endpoint tabs, or it may stop recording at some point.
      3. Make sure you have your simulation or a screenshot of the expected stopping point handy.
   7. {Start} & {Go} to begin laser monitoring
5. Run your etch in "Process Test" Mode:
   1. ICP#1:
      1. OPTIONALLY: Set switch to "MR" to use side keyboard/screen/manual box (make sure Manual Box has "Evacuate" enabled on all chambers!)
         1. You must set this back to "CR" when you are done!
      2. {Test} mode soft-button (should already be enabled)
      3. F6 Test
      4. F2 Test
      5. F1 Etch Test
      6. F2 Selection
      7. Choose your recipe, edit if needed
      8. F4 Register
      9. {Start} soft-button
      10. F5 & F5 to exit out to main menu
      11. F3 Monitor > F1 E-Ch. to monitor the etch
   2. ICP#2:
      1. {Test} mode soft-button (should already be enabled)
      2. Menu [Test]
      3. [Process Test]
      4. [Etch Test]
      5. ¿ [Selection]
      6. Choose your recipe, edit if needed
      7. [Register]
      8. {Start} soft-button
      9. Return & Return to exit out to main menu
      10. Monitor > P/C1 to monitor the etch
6. Manual Box (Paddle) to End Step at the appropriate time according to laser monitor (eg. some overetch after reaching desired endpoint)
   1. ICP#1: [RF__ OFF] button to end current step. Make sure you use the correct Manual Box, there is one at each side of the tool (CR and MR sides)!
   2. ICP#2: [Process Skip] to end current step.
7. Wait for decharge steps to complete, done when top-left of screen "RUN" changes to "STOP"
8. Transfer wafer out of chamber:
   1. ICP#1 Unload:
      1. Return to main menu
      2. F6 Test
      3. F1 Wf. Trans.
      4. F2 Collect
      5. Double-Check that all cassettes are EMPTY and seated properly
      6. {Start} soft button. Will check all three chambers before removing your wafer, takes a while. Do not touch until screen says "STOP" on top-left.
      7. {Auto} soft-button for normal operation (to run your clean etc.)
      8. Set side back to CR if you changed the switch.
   2. ICP#2 Unload:
      1. Return to main menu
      2. Menu Test > Trans/Test > Transport > Wafer Unload
      3. {Start} soft-button. Do not touch until screen says "STOP" on top-left.
      4. {Auto} soft-button for normal operation (to run your clean etc.)
   3. End Laser Monitoring / Save Data:
      1. [Force Cut]
      2. Save Data if desired (Right-click the plots, copy data into Notepad, save BMP etc.)
      3. Turn off Camera Illumination & Unplug Laser Interlock Key from Laser Head.