Ion current density measuring method and instrument, and semiconductor device manufacturing method

Abstract

A wafer is exposed to a plasma. Here, the wafer includes a semiconductor or a conductor 1 provided on an insulator 6, an insulator 2 formed thereon and having a region the thickness of which has been made locally thin, and a 2nd conductor 4 provided on the insulator 2, one of the semiconductor or the conductor 1 and the 2nd conductor 4 having a 1st region from the surface of which a substantially total solid angle is formed, the other having a 2nd region a solid angle formed from the surface of which is made smaller than the 1st region. Then, a voltage is applied to the semiconductor or the conductor 1 and the 2nd conductor 4 so as to measure a time elapsing until the insulator 2 undergoes a dielectric breakdown. Moreover, the ion current density is determined from an electric charge required therefor and an area exposed onto the surface of the 2nd conductor 4. Consequently, it becomes possible to measure, on the wafer, the current density of the ions launched into the wafer, thereby allowing the measuring method of the icon current density to be made suitable for the mass production.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.