Electron beam testing of semiconductor wafers.

摘要

A method for testing a semiconductor structure during and after fabrication includes the steps of fabricating test patterns thereon which test patterns include regions of conductive material connected to the substrate as well as regions of conductive material isolated from the substrate; grounding the substrate; directing a beam of electrons onto the test pattern, which beam has an energy sufficient to cause the secondary emission coefficient of the conductive material to exceed unity and thereby produce a voltage contrast between those regions of conductive material connected to the substrate and those isolated from the substrate; and detecting the resulting voltage contrast between the portions of conductive material grounded and those not grounded to thereby determine the propriety of the fabrication process.