Method and structure for reducing the propagation of cracks in epitaxial films formed on semiconductor wafers
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorKelly P. Ip
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Abstract
A method for reducing the effects of cracks in an epitaxial film. The method includes; providing a semiconductor wafer with an epitaxial film thereon; inspecting the epitaxial film to determine outer peripheral edge regions of the epitaxial film having cracks therein; and selectively removing the determined outer peripheral edge regions of the epitaxial film while leaving portions of the semiconductor wafer underlying the removed determined outer peripheral regions of the epitaxial film.
Claims18
A method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor wafer with an epitaxial film thereon;
- inspecting the epitaxial film to determine outer peripheral edge regions of the epitaxial film having cracks therein;
- and
- selectively removing the determined outer peripheral edge regions of the epitaxial film while leaving portions of the semiconductor wafer underlying the removed determined outer peripheral regions of the epitaxial film.
The method recited in claim I wherein the epitaxial film has a different crystallographic structure than the crystallographic structure of the semiconductor wafer.
The method recited in claim. 5 wherein the silicon has a <111> silicon.
A method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor wafer with an epitaxial film thereon, the epitaxial film having outer peripheral regions with cracks therein;
- selectively removing peripheral regions of the epitaxial film while leaving portions of the semiconductor wafer underlying the removed determined outer peripheral regions of the epitaxial film.
A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a semiconductor wafer, the wafer having an outer peripheral edge;
- an epitaxial film disposed on and in direct contact with a central portion of the semiconductor wafer and being displaced a predetermined distance from the peripheral edge of the wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.