In-line characterization of heterojunction bipolar transistor base layers by high-resolution x-ray diffraction

The suitability of high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) as an in-line measurement tool for the characterization of heterojunction bipolar transistor SiGe base layers and Si cap layers was investigated. We showed that despite of polycrystalline Si on the mask material of patterned wafers, HRXRD measurements performed on an array of small windows yield results which are comparable to those that were obtained on a window which is larger than the size of the source beam, regarding the thickness and the Ge content of the SiGe layers. The possibility to extract layer parameters for active device windows of different sizes was therefore demonstrated. The suitability of HRXRD for in-line measurement of the Si cap thickness was also assessed and the sensitivity of this technique for determining the substitutional boron concentration in SiGe was studied. The detection limit in the monitoring of the active dopant concentration was about 2.7 × 1019 cm-3.