Course Overview:
This course provides an in-depth introduction to metrology and inspection techniques essential for semiconductor manufacturing. Students will explore various measurement and inspection methods, understanding their significance in ensuring the quality and reliability of semiconductor devices. The course covers optical metrology, surface metrology, thin film analysis, defect inspection, and emerging trends in semiconductor metrology.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand the role of metrology and inspection in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
- Gain knowledge of fundamental optical and surface metrology techniques.
- Learn about different types of defects and their inspection methods.
- Explore advanced packaging metrology and its challenges.
- Study real-world applications and future directions in semiconductor metrology.

There are no prerequisites.

- Midterm: 40%
- Final (presentation): 20%
- Final (term paper): 40%

"Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology" by Yoshio Nishi and Robert Doering
"Semiconductor Metrology and Standardization" by Alain C. Diebold
"Introduction to Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology" by Hong Xiao
Research articles and industry white papers

Week 1: Overview of Semiconductor Manufacturing
Overview of semiconductor manufacturing processes
Importance of metrology and inspection in semiconductor production
Week 2: Introduction to Metrology and Inspection
Basic concepts and terminology in metrology
Types of measurements and inspection techniques
Precision, accuracy, and uncertainty in measurements
Week 3: Fundamentals of Optical Metrology
Principles of optical metrology
Types of optical measurement techniques
Applications in semiconductor manufacturing
Week 4: Ellipsometry and Reflectometry
Principles and applications of ellipsometry
Reflectometry techniques and their applications
Comparison of ellipsometry and reflectometry
Week 5: Fundamentals of Surface Metrology
Surface morphology and roughness measurement
Surface characterization techniques
Importance of surface metrology in semiconductor manufacturing
Week 6: Surface Profilers and Atomic Force Microscopy
Types of surface profilers and their applications
Principles of atomic force microscopy
Applications of AFM in semiconductor metrology
Week 7: Thin Film Metrology
Measurement techniques for thin films
Thickness, refractive index, and composition analysis
Tools for thin film metrology: Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, X-ray Reflectometry (XRR)
Week 8: Midterm exam
Midterm week
Week 9: Fundamentals of Defect Inspection
Importance of defect inspection in semiconductor manufacturing
Types of defects and their origins
Inspection techniques and tools
Week 10: Types of Defects in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Common defects in semiconductor processes
Causes and implications of defects
Strategies for defect reduction
Week 11: Optical Inspection of Defects
Optical inspection techniques for defect detection
Tools and equipment used in optical inspection
Case studies of optical inspection applications
Week 12: Defects Inspection with Electron Microscopies
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for defect inspection
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) applications
Comparative analysis of SEM and TEM for defect inspection
Week 13: Metrology for Advanced Packaging
Overview of advanced packaging techniques
Metrology challenges in advanced packaging
Tools and techniques for advanced packaging metrology
Week 14: Case Studies and Industry Applications
Real-world applications of metrology and inspection
Case studies from the semiconductor industry
Guest lectures from industry experts
Week 15: Future Directions in Semiconductor Metrology
Emerging trends and technologies in semiconductor metrology
Innovations and future challenges
Metrology for 3D ICs and heterogeneous integration
Week 16: Final week

Lecture base