ABSTRACT
This paper demonstrates a method that reveals the density versus stability temperature distribution of grown-in oxide precipitate nuclei. These so-called defect density spectra can be measured after each processing step in a device process. Thus, the process steps that are critical for defect generation can be analyzed. This was done for a thermally simulated CMOS process. It is also shown that the grown-in oxide precipitate nuclei are essential for defect generation during processing.
