# US 12,009,302 B2 · Method of testing wafer

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- Number: US 12,009,302 B2
- Document ID: US12009302B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/873,921
- Filed: 2022-07-26
- Published: 2022-11-10
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-29
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yen-Hsung Ho; Chia-Yi Tseng; Chih-Hsun Lin; Kun-Tsang Chuang; Yung-Lung Hsu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009302B2

## CPC

- H10W 20/435: {Cross-sectional shapes or dispositions of interconnections}
- H10D 64/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10P 74/207: {Electrical properties, e.g. testing or measuring of resistance, deep levels or capacitance-voltage characteristics}
- H10P 74/277: {Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e.g. circuits in tested chips or circuits in testing wafers}
- H10W 20/42: Vias, e.g. via plugs
- H10W 46/00: Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method includes following steps. An image of a wafer is captured. A first contact region in the captured image at which the first conductive contact is rendered is identified. A second contact region in the captured image at which the second conductive contact is rendered is identified. The second conductive contact is determined as not shorted to the first conductive contact, in response to the identified second contact region in the captured image is darker than the identified first contact region in the captured image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
capturing an image of a wafer, the wafer comprising a first conductive contact over a first active region of the wafer and a second conductive contact over an oxide formed on a second active region of the wafer;
identifying a first contact region in the captured image at which the first conductive contact is rendered;
identifying a second contact region in the captured image at which the second conductive contact is rendered; and
in response to the identified second contact region in the captured image having a brightness substantially the same as a brightness of the identified first contact region in the captured image, determining that the second conductive contact is shorted to the first conductive contact.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
performing silicidation on the wafer after the oxide is formed on the second active region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the oxide has a top surface higher than the first active region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second conductive contact over the oxide has a shorter height than the first conductive contact over the first active region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first conductive contact has a bottom surface lower than a bottom surface of the second conductive contact.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second conductive contact has a bottom surface higher than a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure formed in the wafer.

### Claim 7

A method, comprising:
capturing an image of a wafer, the wafer comprising a first conductive contact over a first doped semiconductor region and a second conductive contact over a second doped semiconductor region, wherein the first doped semiconductor region is of a first conductivity type, and the second doped semiconductor region is of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type;
identifying a first contact region in the captured image at which the first conductive contact is rendered;
identifying a second contact region in the captured image at which the second conductive contact is rendered; and
in response to the identified second contact region in the captured image having a brightness substantially the same as a brightness of the identified first contact region in the captured image, determining that the second conductive contact is shorted to the first conductive contact.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the wafer further comprises a third conductive contact over a third doped semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, the second doped semiconductor region is laterally between the first and third doped semiconductor regions, and the method further comprises:
identifying a third contact region in the captured image at which the third conductive contact is rendered; and
in response to the brightness of the identified second contact region in the captured image being different than a brightness of the identified third contact region in the captured image, determining that the second conductive contact is not shorted to the third conductive contact.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the wafer further comprises a shallow trench isolation (STI) region spacing the first doped semiconductor region apart from the second doped semiconductor region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the STI region has a bottom surface lower than a bottoms of the first and second doped semiconductor regions.

### Claim 11

A method comprising:
forming a first shallow trench isolation (STI) region between a first active region and a second active region of a substrate, and a second STI region between the second active region and a third active region of the substrate;
forming a dielectric layer over the second active region;
forming a first contact on the first active region and a second contact on the dielectric layer;
obtaining an electron microscope image of the substrate;
measuring a brightness difference between the first contact and the second contact rendered in the electron microscope image; and
determining, based on the measured brightness difference, whether a short circuit occurs between the first contact and the second contact.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether a short circuit occurs between the first contact and the second contact comprises:
determining the first contact is shorted to the second contact when the measured brightness difference between the first contact and the second contact rendered in the electron microscope image is zero.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether a short circuit occurs between the first contact and the second contact comprises:
evaluating whether the measured brightness difference between the first contact and the second contact rendered in the electron microscope image is non-zero.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether a short circuit occurs between the first contact and the second contact comprises:
evaluating whether the second contact rendered in the electron microscopic image is darker than the first contact rendered in the electron microscopic image.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
prior to obtaining the electron microscope image of the substrate, forming an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer over the substrate;
etching the ILD layer to form a first contact hole and a second contact hole extending through the ILD layer, wherein the first active region is exposed at a bottom of the first contact hole, and the dielectric layer is exposed at a bottom of the second contact hole; and
forming the first and second contacts in the first and second contact holes, respectively.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein forming the first and second contacts comprises:
depositing a conductor to fill the first and second contact holes, such that the conductor is in contact with the first active region at the bottom of the first contact hole and also in contact with the dielectric layer at the bottom of the second contact hole; and
planarizing the conductor to expose the ILD layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
forming a third contact on the third active region.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
performing a silicidation process on the substrate after the dielectric layer is formed on the second active region.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the second contact has a bottom surface higher than a bottom surface of the first contact.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the second contact has a shorter height than the first contact.