TEM Analysis and Failure Mechanism Studies of Bromine-Induced Defects in Wafer Fabrication

In wafer fabrication, the contamination of halogen is commonly encountered, such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine. These contaminants can seriously impact product’s quality and yield. In the previous works, we have studied F and Cl-induced metal corrosion and failure mechanisms. In this paper, we will apply TEM analysis technique to study Br-indued corrosion and failure mechanism. Moreover, we will introduce a model of “Br-chain chemical reaction” to explain why even a little bit of Br contamination, it can cause very bad corrosion results, and the formation of the worm-like defects at the side of Al metal lines in wafer fabrication.