Nanotopography in Silicon Wafer Manufacturing: A Literature Review

Nanotopograhphy on unpatterned silicon wafers is becoming a serious issue in IC fabrication, especially with the decreasing critical dimension. However, there are no review papers to summarize the literature on nanotopography in silicon wafer manufacturing. This paper reviews the literature on nanotopography in silicon wafer manufacturing. It first describes the significance and definition of nanotopography. It then presents the methods and principles of nanotopography measurement. It also discusses experimental investigations about the effects of simultaneous double side grinding process on nanotopography.