Scanning Electron Microscope Induced Electrical Breakdown of Tungsten Windows in Integrated Circuit Processing Available to Purchase

Interaction of inline SEM inspections with tungsten window-1 integrity were investigated. Multiple SEMs were utilized and various points in the processing were inspected. It was found that in certain circumstances inline SEM inspection induced increased window-1 contact resistance in both source/drain and gate contacts, up to and including electrical opens for the source/drain contacts.