Method and Structures for Acoustic Wave Overlay Error Determination
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYu-Ching Lee, Yu-Piao Fang
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Abstract
A structure includes a first periodic structure positioned on a chip, the first periodic structure comprising a material of a first layer disposed on the chip. The structure further includes a second periodic structure positioned within the region of the chip adjacent the first periodic structure, the second periodic structure comprising a second material of a second layer disposed on the chip. The structure further includes an acoustic wave transmitter device disposed on the chip and an acoustic wave receiver device disposed on the chip.
Claims20
A structure comprising:
- a first periodic structure positioned on a chip, the first periodic structure comprising a material of a first layer disposed on the chip;
- a second periodic structure positioned within the region of the chip adjacent the first periodic structure, the second periodic structure comprising a second material of a second layer disposed on the chip;
- an acoustic wave transmitter device disposed on the chip;
- and
- an acoustic wave receiver device disposed on the chip.
A device comprising:
- an acoustic wave transmitter positioned on a chip;
- an acoustic wave receiver positioned on the chip;
- a first periodic structure positioned on the chip, the first periodic structure comprising a first material;
- and
- a second periodic structure positioned on the chip, the second periodic structure comprising a second material.
A method comprising:
- forming a first material layer on a semiconductor wafer, the first material layer comprising a first periodic structure within an overlay mark region of the semiconductor wafer;
- forming a second material layer on the semiconductor wafer, the second material layer comprising a second periodic structure in the overlay mark region;
- with an acoustic transmitter device disposed within the overlay mark region, transmitting an acoustic wave across both the first periodic structure and the second periodic structure;
- with an acoustic wave receiver device, detecting the acoustic wave;
- and
- determining an overlay error between the first material layer and the second material layer based on the acoustic wave as detected by the acoustic wave receiver device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.