72results about "Material work function voltage" patented technology

A method to detect metal contamination on a semiconductor topography is provided. The semiconductor topography may include a semiconductor substrate or a dielectric material disposed upon a semiconductor substrate. The metal contamination may be driven into the semiconductor substrate by an annealing process. Alternatively, the annealing process may drive the metal contamination into the dielectric material. Subsequent to the annealing process, a charge may be deposited upon an upper surface of the semiconductor topography. An electrical property of the semiconductor topography may be measured. A characteristic of at least one type of metal contamination may be determined as a function of the electrical property of the semiconductor topography. The method may be used to determine a characteristic of one or more types of metal contamination on a portion of the semiconductor topography or the entire semiconductor topography. A system configured to detect metal contamination on a semiconductor topography is also provided. An oven may be incorporated into the system and may be used to anneal the semiconductor topography. The system may also include a device that may be configured to deposit a charge on an upper surface of the semiconductor topography. A sensor may also be included in the system. The sensor may use a non-contact work function technique to measure an electrical property of the semiconductor topography.

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on a surface of a sample. The system operates by detecting changes in work function across a surface via both vCPD and nvCPD. It utilizes a non-vibrating contact potential difference (nvCPD) sensor for imaging work function variations over an entire sample. The data is differential in that it represents changes in the work function (or geometry or surface voltage) across the surface of a sample. A vCPD probe is used to determine absolute CPD data for specific points on the surface of the sample. The combination of vibrating and non-vibrating CPD measurement modes allows the rapid imaging of whole-sample uniformity, and the ability to detect the absolute work function at one or more points.

There is provided a system and process for detecting biomolecular interaction on a substrate having a biomolecule immobilized on a surface of the substrate. The system and process incorporate a scanning Kelvin microprobe (SKM) capable of analyzing surface topography as well as a contact potential difference image signal. Also provided is the use of SKM in measuring and analyzing biochemical molecular interactions between a probe bound to the surface of the substrate, and a target suspected to be present in a liquid sample. One of the probe and target combination is a biomolecule such as a nucleic acid, a polypeptide, or a small molecule, and an antibody antigen combination may be used.

A method and system for contact potential sensing of dielectric properties of a fluid. The method and system include a contact potential sensor, an open or closed loop for passing a fluid past the sensor, measuring a contact potential to characterize dielectric properties of the fluid and outputting the dielectric property information for analysis and response thereto.

A scanning Kelvin microprobe (SKM) system capable of measuring and analyzing surface characteristics of samples is provided. Also provided is a process of measuring and analyzing surface characteristics of samples. Further, there are provided uses of the SKM system in measuring and analyzing surface characteristics of conductors, semiconductors, insulators, chemicals, biochemicals, photochemicals, chemical sensors, biosensors, biochemical microarrays, microelectronic devices, electronic imaged devices, micromachined devices, nano-devices, corroded materials, stressed materials, coatings, adsorbed materials, contaminated materials, oxides, thin films, and self assembling monolayers.

A sensing apparatus for detecting fluid quality change using signals obtained from a fluid quality sensor for exposure to a fluid and a reference sensor positioned in a reference sensing means having a fluid trap section holding a part of the fluid. Sensing values obtained from the fluid quality sensor and the reference sensor are compared in determining an aging factor. An application of the sensing apparatus is an apparatus for detecting engine oil quality change in an engine system. With the sensing apparatus, a first aging factor can be calculated after an engine cold soak and a second one can be obtained during engine operation. With these two aging factors, in addition to oil quality change, failures in the engine system and sensors, and oil change events can also be detected. Additionally, since reference sensing values are provided by the reference sensor, power disconnections have least effects.

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on a surface of a material. The method and system involves providing a material, such as a semiconductor wafer, using a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to scan the wafer, generate contact potential difference data and processing that data to identify a pattern characteristic of the defect or contamination.

A method and apparatus for measuring dopant profile of a semiconductor is disclosed. Initially, the temperature of a tip of a probe and the temperature of a semiconductor sample are ascertained. Then, a voltage at a location on a surface of the semiconductor sample is obtained via the tip of the probe. The dopant concentration at the location of the surface of the semiconductor sample is subsequently determined by combining the obtained voltage and the temperature difference between the probe tip and the semiconductor sample. The above-mentioned steps can be repeated in order to generate a dopant profile of the semiconductor.

A method and system for identifying and classifying non-uniformities on the surface of a semiconductor or in a semiconductor. The method and system involves scanning the wafer surface with a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to detect the locations of non-uniformities, extracting features characteristic of the non-uniformities, and applying a set of rules to these features to classify the type of each non-uniformity.

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on the surface of a semiconductor or in a semiconductor. The method and system involves providing a semiconductor with a surface, such as a semiconductor wafer, providing a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor, providing a source of illumination with controllable intensity or distribution of wavelengths, using the illumination source to provide controlled illumination of the surface of the wafer under or near the non-vibrating contact potential sensor probe tip, using the non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to scan the wafer surface during controlled illumination, generating data representative of changes in contact potential difference across the wafer surface, and processing that data to identify a pattern characteristic of a defect or contamination.

An indium electrode film (2) is formed closely adhering to one face of an organic semiconductor film (1) made of copper phthalocyanine while a gold electrode film (3) is formed on the other face. A voltage is applied to the organic semiconductor film (1) so that the indium electrode (2) side is biased positively. By applying a voltage so that the electrode (2) side is charged positively and irradiating with a light having a wavelength absorbable by the organic semiconductor film (1) the phenomenon of photocurrent multiplication arises at the interface of the organic semiconductor film (1) and the electrode (2). When put under an oxygen or moisture atmosphere in the above state, this gas sensor can detect oxygen or moisture depending on a change in photocurrent due to the multiplication.