A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, and a prediction apparatus based thereon.

Abstract

This invention provides a method and apparatus for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, which builds correlation data with a four-point probe and uses this as a reference to improve the reliability of quantitative prediction of thermal donors while maintaining high analytical capability across the entire wafer surface in a non-contact manner without wafer damage. [Solution] The method includes the steps of: measuring the lifetime and thermal donor quantification before and after donor killing on a sampled wafer, and then comparing them to obtain correlation data; and obtaining the lifetime before and after donor killing on a wafer under inspection, and then predicting the thermal donor quantification based on the correlation data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments according to the present invention relate to thermal donor inspection, and particularly to constructing correlation data with a four-point probe, and based on this, a method for predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer with high analysis ability and high reliability of thermal donor quantitative prediction for the entire surface of the wafer in a non-contact manner without wafer damage, and a prediction apparatus therefor.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, after cutting an ingot into the form of a wafer, a difference (taper) occurs between the surface waviness and the wafer thickness. To uniformize these, the process of cutting is called lapping.

[0003] After this lapping is completed, chemical etching is performed to reduce the damage given to the wafer, and through this series of processes, the roughness of the wafer decreases.

[0004] A heat treatment step (thermal annealing) is required before the final polishing step. Charged interstitial oxygen complexes in silicon that carry unnecessary charges are called thermal donors. Not only are these thermal donors removed, but heat treatment (annealing) is performed at around about 700 degrees Celsius to stabilize the resistivity of the wafer, and this is called donor killing.

[0005] At this time, silicon wafer manufacturers and companies that produce semiconductor devices using them monitor the degree of thermal donor generation, which causes increased variability in product performance and increased defect rates during production, and feed this information back into the production steps, or they recycle or discard the produced wafers.

[0006] The monitoring method described above often uses a four-point probe, which offers high measurement accuracy. A four-point probe is a probe with four probes attached, used for surface resistance measurement. Typically, the probes are spaced 1 mm apart and arranged in a single line (linear type). Other types include square-type hall probes, where the probes are arranged in the forward direction, and high-temperature probes specially manufactured to withstand high temperatures.

[0007] The aforementioned four-point probe is a tool used to most accurately measure the surface resistance present on the surface of a material. The method of measuring the degree of thermal donor formation using the four-point probe involves measuring the resistivity of the wafer under inspection before and after donor killing, comparing these values, and using the difference to quantify the thermal donor.

[0008] The aforementioned four-point probe method for quantifying thermal donors has the advantage of enabling accurate quantification in terms of concentration, but it has the disadvantage of causing damage to the wafer surface because physical contact of the probes is essential.

[0009] This drawback leads to a decrease in overall production yield, as the wafer being inspected loses its functionality as a product. Furthermore, the 4-point probe has the inherent problem of being relatively inefficient for analyzing the entire wafer due to the probe spacing being approximately 1 mm to 2 mm. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention aims to solve the problems described above.

[0011] A thermal donor prediction method and apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, utilizing the lifetime of a silicon wafer, aims to improve the reliability of quantitative thermal donor prediction while maintaining high analytical capability across the entire wafer surface in a non-contact manner without wafer damage, by constructing correlation data with a four-point probe and using this as a reference. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To achieve the above objective, the thermal donor quantification prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is characterized by the following steps: measuring the lifetime and thermal donor quantification before and after donor killing on a sampled wafer, and then comparing them to obtain correlation data; and obtaining the lifetime before and after donor killing on a wafer under inspection, and then predicting the thermal donor quantification based on the correlation data.

[0013] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above objective is that the wafer to be inspected is selected from among the wafer manufacturing steps.

[0014] Further features of the silicon wafer lifetime thermal donor quantitative prediction method according to the present invention for achieving the above-described objectives include the step of feeding back information on the predicted thermal donor quantitative to the wafer manufacturing process and adjusting the wafer manufacturing process if the predicted thermal donor quantitative is outside a predetermined threshold range;

[0015] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above objective, wherein the acquisition step includes: a step of providing the sampling wafer; a first measurement step of measuring the lifetime and resistance of the sampling wafer before donor killing; a second measurement step of measuring the lifetime and resistance of the sampling wafer after donor killing; a step of calculating the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the change in lifetime measured in the first and second measurement steps and the measured resistance; and a step of generating correlation data by comparing the change in lifetime with the quantitative determination of thermal donors.

[0016] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, a further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is that the first measurement step includes: generating a first lifetime image map of the entire surface of a sampled wafer before donor killing; a first profiling step of profiling the lifetime corresponding to the entire surface coordinate values ​​of the sampled wafer based on the first lifetime image map; and a first resistance measurement step of measuring the resistance at a predetermined set of coordinate values ​​among the entire surface coordinate values ​​of the sampled wafer before donor killing.

[0017] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, a further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is that the second measurement step includes: generating a second lifetime image map for the entire surface of the sampled wafer after donor killing; a second profiling process for profiling the lifetime corresponding to the entire surface coordinate values ​​of the sampled wafer based on the second lifetime image map; and a second resistance measurement step for measuring the resistance at a predetermined set of coordinate values ​​among the entire surface coordinate values ​​of the sampled wafer after donor killing.

[0018] Another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives is that the sampling wafer used in the second measurement step is the same sampling wafer used in the first measurement step.

[0019] To achieve the aforementioned objective, another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is that the sampling wafer provided in the acquisition step comprises at least two or more to increase the sample size of the sampling data.

[0020] To achieve this objective, an additional feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is provided, the step of generating correlation data comprising: predicting the quantitative determination of thermal donors in accordance with the lifetime change amount at a plurality of preset identical coordinate values; and obtaining correlation data by comparing the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors with the obtained quantitative determination of thermal donors.

[0021] To achieve the above objective, a further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the silicon wafer lifetime according to the present invention is to further include, after the step of generating the correlation data, a step of generating a correlation function between the predicted quantitative determination of the thermal donor based on the correlation data at a plurality of pre-set identical coordinate values ​​and the acquired quantitative determination of the thermal donor, which, once the quantitative determination of the thermal donor is predicted, serves as a criterion for correcting the predicted quantitative determination of the thermal donor.

[0022] To achieve the above objective, the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is characterized in that the prediction step includes: selecting any wafer to be inspected from among the wafer manufacturing processes; obtaining the lifetime of the wafer to be inspected before and after donor killing; calculating the amount of change in lifetime based on the acquired lifetime data; calculating the quantitative amount of thermal donors according to the amount of change in lifetime; and estimating the quantitative amount of thermal donors by correcting the calculated quantitative amount of thermal donors based on the correlation function.

[0023] Another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention, which achieves the above-mentioned objectives, is a computer-decodeable recording medium that stores a program for executing a thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of the silicon wafer.

[0024] Further features of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above objective include: a prediction criterion data unit that measures the lifetime and thermal donor quantitative determination of a sampled wafer before and after donor killing, compares them, and generates a correlation criterion; and a thermal donor prediction unit that obtains the lifetime of a wafer under inspection before and after donor killing, and then predicts the thermal donor quantitative determination using the correlation criterion; Another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above objective is that the wafer to be inspected is selected from among the wafer manufacturing processes.

[0025] To achieve the above objective, another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus utilizing the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention is that, if the predicted thermal donor quantity falls outside a preset threshold range, the thermal donor prediction unit feeds back the information of the predicted thermal donor quantity to the wafer production process and adjusts the wafer production process.

[0026] As yet another feature of the thermal donor quantification prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the prediction reference data unit includes: a first donor killing unit that performs heat treatment at a preset temperature on the sampling wafer; a first non-contact lifetime measurement unit that acquires the lifetime of the entire surface of the sampling wafer before and after the heat treatment via the first donor killing unit; a surface resistance measurement unit that measures resistance values at a number of preset coordinate values among the coordinate values of the front surface of the sampling wafer before and after the heat treatment through the first donor killing unit; and a correlation data processing unit that receives the data measured by the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit and the data measured by the surface resistance measurement unit for each of before and after the heat treatment, converts the data into data corresponding to the quantification of the thermal donor, and then generates correlation data.

[0027] As yet another feature of the thermal donor quantification prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the sampling wafer used by the surface resistance measurement unit is the same sampling wafer used by the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit.

[0028] As yet another feature of the thermal donor quantification prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving such an object, the surface resistance measurement unit uses a four-point probe device.

[0029] As an additional feature of the thermal donor quantification prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the object as described above, the prediction reference data unit further includes a correlation reference generation unit that generates a correlation function based on the correlation data.

[0030] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-described objectives is that the prediction reference data unit further includes a data learning processing unit that databases the correlation data and the correlation function and learns based on the database.

[0031] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-described objectives is as follows: The correlation data processing unit receives data measured by the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit as input for both before and after the heat treatment, calculates the lifetime change, and predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated lifetime change; receives data measured by the surface resistance measurement unit as input for both before and after the heat treatment, calculates the resistance change, and calculates the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated resistance change; and generates correlation data between the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the lifetime change and the calculated quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the resistance change.

[0032] Another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives is that the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit uses an apparatus based on the microwave photoconductivity decay method (μ-PCD method).

[0033] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-described objectives, wherein the correlation reference generation unit generates a comprehensive correlation function of the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer based on the correlation data, when correlation data between the quantitative determination of the lifetime change amount-based thermal donor predicted through the correlation data processing unit and the quantitative determination of the resistance change amount-based thermal donor calculated is generated in accordance with a plurality of pre-set coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer.

[0034] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, wherein the thermal donor prediction unit includes a second donor killing unit that performs a heat treatment on the wafer to be inspected at a preset temperature when a wafer to be inspected is selected in any of the wafer manufacturing processes, The system includes: a second non-contact lifetime measurement unit that acquires the lifetime of the front surface of the wafer under inspection before and after heat treatment via the second donor killing unit; and a thermal donor quantitative prediction unit that receives the lifetime and correlation function for the entire surface of the wafer under inspection before and after the heat treatment and predicts the thermal donor quantity of the wafer under inspection.

[0035] A further feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives is that the thermal donor quantitative prediction unit receives the lifetime for the entire surface of the wafer to be inspected before and after the heat treatment as input, calculates the amount of change in lifetime, predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors according to the calculated amount of change in lifetime, and corrects the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the correlation function to make a final prediction of the quantitative determination of thermal donors.

[0036] Another feature of the thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives is that the second non-contact lifetime measurement unit uses an apparatus based on the microwave photoconductivity decay method (μ-PCD method). [Effects of the Invention]

[0037] This invention provides a thermal donor prediction method and prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to one embodiment of the present invention. By constructing correlation data with a four-point probe and using this as a reference, the degree of thermal donor generation can be predicted non-destructively. This prevents wafer damage, reduces production yield, and increases the predictive reliability for thermal donor quantification while maintaining high analytical capability across the entire wafer. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a thermal donor prediction device that utilizes the lifetime of a silicon wafer, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an illustrative diagram illustrating the correlation between lifetime and thermal donor quantification. [Figure 3] This is an illustrative diagram illustrating the correlation between lifetime and thermal donor quantification. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] Embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully illustrate the invention to a person of average skill in the art.

[0040] Furthermore, relational terms such as “first” and “second,” “upper” and “lower” used below may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another, without necessarily requiring any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements.

[0041] The thermal donor prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer and the prediction apparatus based thereon, according to the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 is an illustrative block diagram of a thermal donor prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 2 and 3 are illustrative diagrams to explain the correlation between lifetime and thermal donor quantification.

[0043] A thermal donor prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, consists of a prediction criterion data unit 100 that generates a correlation criterion by comparing the lifetime and thermal donor quantity measured before and after donor killing for a large sample wafer, and a thermal donor prediction unit 200 that predicts the thermal donor quantity using the correlation criterion after wafer manufacturing.

[0044] In this case, the prediction criterion data unit 100 will generate correlation criteria via at least two or more sampling wafers 1A and 1B provided, but it is preferable to have 10 or more sampling wafers 1A and 1B.

[0045] In Figure 1, the sampling wafers are represented by reference numbers 1A and 1B. It should be noted that this is to distinguish between the pre- and post-donor killing process, in which the sampling wafers undergo a heat treatment at a predetermined temperature (usually around 700 degrees Celsius).

[0046] The configuration of the prediction reference data unit 100 includes a donor killing unit 110 that performs the donor killing process, a non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 that acquires the lifetime of the entire surface of the sampling wafer by microwave photoconductivity decay (μ-PCD) method before and after heat treatment via the donor killing unit 110, a 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130 that measures the resistance values ​​at a plurality of preset coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafers 1A and 1B using a four-point probe before and after heat treatment via the donor killing unit 110, and a correlation data processing unit 140 that receives the data measured by the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 and the data measured by the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130 before and after heat treatment, converts them into data corresponding to the quantitative determination of thermal donors, and then generates correlation data.

[0047] To briefly examine the μ-PCD method, first, an optical pulse with an energy greater than the band gap of the silicon single crystal is irradiated to generate excess carriers in the wafer. The conductivity of the wafer increases due to the generated excess carriers, but then the conductivity decreases over time as the excess carriers disappear through recombination. By detecting and analyzing this change as a time change in reflected microwave power, the recombination lifetime can be determined. The recombination lifetime will be shortened if there are metal impurities or defects that form levels that act as recombination centers in the forbidden band. Therefore, by measuring the recombination lifetime, metal impurities and crystal defects in the wafer can be evaluated.

[0048] Furthermore, the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130 does not measure the resistance across the entire surface of the sampling wafers 1A and 1B, but rather measures the resistance at specific coordinate values ​​that have been set in advance. This is due to the characteristics of the 4-point probe and is intended to shorten the resistance measurement time. In other words, if the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130 were to measure across the entire surface of the sampling wafers 1A and 1B, it would have to operate for an excessively long time. This means that it would take a long time to generate correlation data and obtain a reference value, thus reducing the operational yield.

[0049] Furthermore, the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 is supplied with sampling wafers 1A and 1B before the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130. That is, when sampling wafer 1A, which is used before the donor killing step, is supplied to the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 and its lifetime is measured preferentially, the sampling wafer 1A is supplied to the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130 and its resistance value is measured.

[0050] Subsequently, the sampled wafer 1B, after the donor killing step has been carried out via the donor killing unit 110, is supplied to the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120, and after measuring the lifetime after the donor killing step, the sampled wafer 1B is supplied to the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130, where its resistance value is measured.

[0051] This measurement process is due to the instrument characteristics of the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 and the 4PP surface resistance measurement unit 130.

[0052] The correlation data processing unit 140 receives data measured by the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120 before and after heat treatment via the donor killing unit 110, calculates the lifetime change, and predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated lifetime change.

[0053] Furthermore, the correlation data processing unit 140 receives data measured by the 4PP surface resistance measuring unit 130 for both before and after heat treatment via the donor killing unit 110, calculates the change in resistance value, and calculates the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated change in resistance value.

[0054] Furthermore, the correlation data processing unit 140 generates correlation data between the quantification of thermal donors based on predicted lifetime change and the quantification of thermal donors based on calculated resistance change.

[0055] To understand why the aforementioned correlation data can be generated, refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows an image map and the resulting profile when measuring the lifetime (LT) of any mirror-finished wafer using the μ-PCD method before donor killing (DK).

[0056] Figure 3 shows the thermal donor quantification obtained through a four-point probe, corresponding to an image map when measuring the lifetime (LT) by the μ-PCD method before donor killing (DK) on the same wafer as illustrated in Figure 2.

[0057] As can be seen from the relationship between Figure 2 and Figure 3, a correlation is observed between the thermal donor quantification graph obtained through a four-point probe, which has high reliability for thermal donor quantification, and the lifetime (LT) profile graph obtained by the μ-PCD method.

[0058] Therefore, the correlation data processing unit 140 receives data measured by the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 120, calculates the lifetime change, and predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated lifetime change.

[0059] Subsequently, the correlation data processing unit 140 receives data measured by the 4PP surface resistance measuring unit 130 before and after heat treatment via the donor killing unit 110, calculates the change in resistance value, and calculates the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the calculated change in resistance value.

[0060] Furthermore, the correlation data processing unit 140 generates correlation data between the quantification of thermal donors based on predicted lifetime change and the quantification of thermal donors based on calculated resistance change.

[0061] In this case, the prediction reference data unit 100 further includes a correlation reference generation unit 150 that generates a correlation function based on the correlation data generated by the correlation data processing unit 140, and a data learning processing unit 160 that databases the correlation data and the correlation function and learns based on the database.

[0062] When the correlation reference generation unit 150 generates correlation data between the predicted quantitative determination of the lifetime change reference thermal donor and the calculated quantitative determination of the resistance change reference thermal donor via the correlation data processing unit 140, corresponding to a plurality of pre-set coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of sampling wafers 1A and 1B, it generates a correlation function that encompasses the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of sampling wafers 1A and 1B based on the correlation data.

[0063] In this case, the data learning processing unit 160 is provided to optimize the correlation function, and the prediction reference data unit 100 described above is driven for multiple sampling wafers 1A and 1B to form big data, which is then used for deep learning to obtain the optimization of the correlation function.

[0064] Once the correlation function is optimized using the procedure described above, it is applied to the actual wafer manufacturing process, which is performed by the thermal donor prediction unit 200.

[0065] The configuration of the thermal donor prediction unit 200 includes a donor killing unit 210 that performs heat treatment on the wafers 10A and 10B to be inspected at a preset temperature (around 700 degrees Celsius) when any two wafers 10A and 10B to be inspected are selected during the wafer production steps; a non-contact lifetime measurement unit 220 that acquires the lifetime for the entire surface of the wafers 10A and 10B before and after the heat treatment via the donor killing unit 210 using the microwave photoconductivity decay method (μ-PCD method); and a thermal donor quantitative prediction unit 250 that receives the full-surface function of the wafers 10A and 10B before and after the heat treatment and predicts the thermal donor quantity of the wafers 10A and 10B.

[0066] In Figure 1, the wafers to be inspected are represented by reference numbers 10A and 10B. This is to distinguish between the wafers before and after the donor killing process, in which the wafers to be inspected undergo heat treatment at a predetermined temperature (usually around 700 degrees Celsius).

[0067] In Figure 1, the donor killing sections, referred to as reference numbers 110 and 210, can actually use the same device. The same applies to the non-contact lifetime measurement sections, referred to as reference numbers 120 and 220 in Figure 1.

[0068] However, the divisions shown in Figure 1 are for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, and therefore, they may not be officially divided into first or second categories, but rather used as a distinction for convenience in the flow of the process.

[0069] The thermal donor quantitative prediction unit 250 receives lifetime input from the non-contact lifetime measurement unit 220 for the entire surface of the inspected wafers 10A and 10B before and after the heat treatment, calculates the lifetime change, predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors according to the calculated lifetime change, and corrects the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the correlation function provided by the correlation reference generation unit 150 to make a final prediction of the quantitative determination of thermal donors.

[0070] At this time, if the predicted thermal donor quantity exceeds a preset threshold range, the thermal donor quantity prediction unit 250 feeds back the information of the predicted thermal donor quantity to the wafer manufacturing step and adjusts the wafer manufacturing step.

[0071] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Various modifications can be made by persons with ordinary skill in the art to which the method belongs, without departing from the spirit of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Moreover, these modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or outlook of the present invention.

Claims

1. The step involves measuring the lifetime and thermal donor quantification before and after donor killing on a sampled wafer, and then comparing these results to obtain correlation data; A method for predicting thermal donor quantification using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, comprising the steps of: obtaining the lifetime before and after donor killing on a wafer under inspection, and then predicting thermal donor quantification based on the correlation data; The aforementioned acquisition step is, Steps include: A first measurement step involves measuring the lifetime and resistance of the sampled wafer before donor killing; A second measurement step involves measuring the lifetime and resistance value of the sampled wafer after donor killing; A step of predicting the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the change in lifetime measured in the first measurement step and the second measurement step; A step of calculating the amount of thermal donor based on the change in the resistance value measured in the first measurement step and the second measurement step; The steps include: generating correlation data by comparing the predicted quantitative analysis of thermal donors with the calculated quantitative analysis of thermal donors; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, including the above.

2. The wafer to be inspected is selected from among the wafer manufacturing steps. The method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 1.

3. If the predicted thermal donor quantity is outside a predetermined threshold range, the wafer manufacturing step adjusts the wafer manufacturing step by feeding back the information of the predicted thermal donor quantity to the wafer manufacturing step; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, as described in claim 2, further comprising:

4. The first measurement step is, The steps include: generating a first lifetime image map of the entire surface of the sampling wafer prior to the donor killing; A first profiling step of profiling the lifetime corresponding to the full-surface coordinate values ​​of the sampling wafer based on the first lifetime image map; and Prior to the donor killing, a first resistance measurement step is performed, in which the resistance values ​​are measured at a plurality of predetermined coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 1, comprising:

5. The second measurement step is, A step of generating a second lifetime image map of the entire surface of the sampling wafer after the donor killing; A second profiling step of profiling the lifetime corresponding to the overall coordinate values ​​of the sampling wafer based on the second lifetime image map; and a second resistance measurement step of measuring the resistance values ​​at a predetermined set of coordinate values ​​among the overall coordinate values ​​of the sampling wafer after the donor killing; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, as described in claim 4, including the above.

6. The method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 5, wherein the sampling wafer used in the second measurement step is the same sampling wafer used in the first measurement step.

7. The thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 6, wherein the sampling wafer provided in the acquisition step comprises at least two or more wafers to increase the number of samples of sampling data.

8. The step of generating the aforementioned correlation data is: A step of predicting the quantification of thermal donors based on the change in lifetime at a plurality of predetermined identical coordinate values; A step of obtaining correlation data by comparing the predicted quantitative analysis of thermal donors with the calculated quantitative analysis of thermal donors; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, as described in claim 5.

9. The step following the step of generating the correlation data further includes the step of generating a correlation function between the quantification of the thermal donor predicted based on the correlation data at a plurality of pre-set identical coordinate values ​​and the calculated quantification of the thermal donor, A method for predicting the quantitative determination of thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of predicting the quantitative determination of thermal donors of the wafer to be inspected, the correlation function is provided as a criterion for correcting the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors.

10. The step of predicting the thermal donor quantity of the wafer to be inspected is: A step in the wafer manufacturing process to select any wafer to be inspected; A step of obtaining the lifetimes of the wafer to be inspected before and after donor killing; A step of calculating the lifetime change based on the acquired lifetime data; A step of predicting the quantitative determination of thermal donors according to the lifetime change amount; and A final prediction of thermal donor quantification by correcting the predicted thermal donor quantification based on the correlation function; A method for quantitatively predicting thermal donors using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, as described in claim 9.

11. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for performing a thermal donor quantitative prediction method using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A predictive criteria data unit that generates correlation criteria by measuring the lifetime and thermal donor quantification of sampled wafers before and after donor killing, and then comparing them; A thermal donor prediction unit that obtains the lifetime of the wafer under inspection before and after donor killing, and then predicts the quantity of thermal donors based on the correlation criteria; A thermal donor quantitative prediction device using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, including, The aforementioned prediction criteria data unit is: A first donor killing unit that performs heat treatment on the sampling wafer at a predetermined temperature; A first non-contact lifetime measurement unit that acquires the lifetime of the entire surface of the sampling wafer before and after heat treatment via the first donor killing unit; A surface resistance measuring unit that measures resistance values ​​at a number of pre-set coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer, before and after the heat treatment through the first donor killing unit; and A correlation data processing unit receives data measured by the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit and data measured by the surface resistance measurement unit for both before and after the heat treatment, converts them into data corresponding to the quantitative determination of the thermal donor, and then generates correlation data; A thermal donor quantitative prediction system using the lifetime of a silicon wafer, including the above.

13. The thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 12, wherein the wafer to be inspected is selected from among the wafer manufacturing steps.

14. The thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 13, wherein the thermal donor prediction unit, when the predicted thermal donor quantitative value falls outside a preset threshold range, feeds back the information of the predicted thermal donor quantitative value to the wafer manufacturing step to adjust the wafer manufacturing step.

15. The thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 12, wherein the sampling wafer used in the surface resistance measurement unit is the same sampling wafer used in the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit.

16. The surface resistance measuring unit is A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 12, which uses a 4-point probe device.

17. The aforementioned prediction criteria data unit is: The thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 12, further comprising a correlation criterion generation unit that generates a correlation function based on the aforementioned correlation data.

18. The aforementioned prediction criteria data unit is: A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 17, further comprising a data learning processing unit that databases the correlation data and the correlation function and learns based on the database.

19. The aforementioned correlation data processing unit, For both before and after the heat treatment, the data measured by the first non-contact lifetime measurement unit is input, the lifetime change is calculated, and the quantitative determination of the thermal donor is predicted based on the calculated lifetime change; For both the before and after of the heat treatment, the data measured by the surface resistance measuring unit is input, the change in resistance value is calculated, and the amount of thermal donor is calculated based on the calculated change in resistance value; A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 17, which generates correlation data between the quantitative determination of thermal donors predicted based on the lifetime change and the quantitative determination of thermal donors calculated based on the change in resistance.

20. The first non-contact lifetime measurement unit is: A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 12, characterized in that it uses an apparatus based on microwave photoconductivity decay.

21. The correlation criterion generation unit is, A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 19, wherein when correlation data between the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the lifetime change amount predicted through the correlation data processing unit and the quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the resistance change amount calculated is generated in accordance with a plurality of predetermined coordinate values ​​among the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer, a correlation function including the coordinate values ​​of the entire surface of the sampling wafer is generated based on the correlation data.

22. The thermal donor prediction unit is If a wafer to be inspected is selected in any of the wafer manufacturing steps, a second donor killing unit performs heat treatment on the wafer to be inspected at a preset temperature, A second non-contact lifetime measurement unit that acquires the lifetime of the entire surface of the wafer to be inspected before and after heat treatment via the second donor killing unit; and A thermal donor quantification prediction unit receives the lifetime and correlation function for the entire surface of the wafer to be inspected before and after the heat treatment, and predicts the thermal donor quantification of the wafer to be inspected; A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 21, including the apparatus described in claim 21.

23. The thermal donor quantitative prediction unit is: A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 22, which receives lifetime input for the entire surface of the wafer to be inspected before and after the heat treatment, calculates the amount of change in lifetime, predicts the quantitative determination of thermal donors according to the calculated amount of change in lifetime, and corrects the predicted quantitative determination of thermal donors based on the correlation function to make a final prediction of the quantitative determination of thermal donors.

24. The second non-contact lifetime measurement unit is, A thermal donor quantitative prediction apparatus using the lifetime of a silicon wafer according to claim 22, which uses an apparatus based on microwave photoconductivity decay (μ-PCD method).

Images