Advanced semiconductor devices require precision process control of layer thickness and doping concentrations during epitaxial crystal growth. Mission Research Corporation (MRC) and the University of New Mexico's (UNM's) Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) propose a robust, simple, retrofittable, in- situ diagnostic for both monitoring and process control that will adapt easily to most epitaxial growth system geometries without major system modifications. This represents and exciting opportunity to advance to a new level of process contol. The proposed system is a potentially high-performance, low-cost, realtime control system for modern epitaxial growth such as metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and may also find application in other CVD systems. This type of real-time measurement and control of epitaxial growth will impact manufacturability and lower device cost by improving precision, throughput and yield.
