# US 10,504,737 B2 · Methods of enhancing surface topography on a substrate for inspection

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- Number: US 10,504,737 B2
- Document ID: US10504737B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/686,995
- Filed: 2017-08-25
- Published: 2018-12-06
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-30
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Han-Wen Liao; Jun Xiu Liu; Chun-Chih Lin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504737B2

## CPC

- H10P 52/402: {of semiconductor materials}
- H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes}
- H10P 74/235: {comprising optical enhancement of defects or not-directly-visible states}
- H10P 95/062: {involving a dielectric removal step}
- H10W 10/00: Isolation regions in semiconductor bodies between components of integrated devices
- H10W 10/01: {Manufacture or treatment}
- H10W 10/014: {using trench refilling with dielectric materials, e.g. shallow trench isolations}
- H10W 10/17: formed using trench refilling with dielectric materials, e.g. shallow trench isolations
- H10P 50/283: {by chemical means}
- H10P 50/644: {Anisotropic liquid etching (H10P50/61 takes precedence)}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Methods for enhancing a surface topography of a structure formed on a substrate are provided. In one example, the method includes performing a polishing process on a substrate having a shallow trench isolation structure and a diffusion region, performing a surface topography enhancing process to enlarge a defect in at least one of the shallow trench isolation structure and the diffusion region, inspecting at least one of the shallow trench isolation structure and the diffusion region to detect the enlarged defect, and adjusting a parameter of the polishing process in response to detecting the enlarged defect.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a structure on a substrate comprising:
performing a polishing process on a substrate having a shallow trench isolation structure and a diffusion region;
performing a surface topography enhancing process to enlarge a defect in at least one of the shallow trench isolation structure and the diffusion region;
inspecting at least one of the shallow trench isolation structure and the diffusion region to detect the enlarged defect; and
adjusting a parameter of the polishing process in response to detecting the enlarged defect.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the defect comprises at least one of micro-scratches, dishing and residuals from the polishing process.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a gate structure or fin structures on the diffusion region of the substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the shallow trench isolation structure is in the substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the surface topography enhancing process enlarges a dimension of the defect between about 20 percent and 60 percent on the surface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the defect is enlarged to a shape selected from the group consisting of polygon, pyramids, cylinder, notch, cubic, and angled sidewalls.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the enlarged defect has a depth between about 800 Å and about 1600 Å.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the surface topography enhancing process comprises:
immersing the substrate in a liquid solution.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the liquid solution is an alkaline solution when the defect is formed on a silicon containing material in the diffusion region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the silicon containing material is a crystalline silicon material or doped silicon material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the liquid solution comprises at least one of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, aqueous potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia in deionized water.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the liquid solution is an acid solution when the defect is formed on a dielectric material in the shallow trench isolation structure.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the dielectric material is silicon oxide or oxide containing material.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid solution comprises at least one of HF, NH4F, buffered HF, ammonium fluoride and ammonium bifluoride in deionized water.

### Claim 15

A method for manufacturing a structure on a substrate, comprising:
processing a surface of a substrate, the substrate including a shallow trench isolation structure and a diffusion region;
wet processing the substrate to enlarge a defect caused by processing the surface, wherein the defect is enlarged between about 20 percent and 60 percent from its original dimension; and
inspecting the structure to detect the enlarged defect.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the wet processing uses an acid solution when the defect is located is in a shallow trench isolation structure fabricated from a dielectric material.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
dry etching the surface of the substrate prior to or after wet processing the substrate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the wet processing uses an alkaline solution when the defect is located in a diffusion region fabricated from a silicon containing material.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the silicon containing material is a crystalline silicon material or doped silicon material.

### Claim 20

A method for manufacturing a structure on a substrate, comprising:
performing a CMP process on a surface of a substrate having a shallow trench isolation structure and a diffusion region;
wet treating the surface of the substrate to enlarge a structure selected from the group consisting of scratches, convex regions, concave regions, dishing defects and erosion defects in at least one of the shallow trench isolation structure or the diffusion region, wherein the structure is enlarged between about 20 percent and 60 percent from its original dimension; and
inspecting the shallow trench isolation structure or the diffusion region including the enlarged structure to detect the enlarged structure, the enlarged structure having a shape selected from the group consisting of polygon, pyramids, cylinder, notch, cubic, and angled sidewalls.