Comb/serpentine/cross-bridge test structure for fabrication process evaluation

Abstract

The comb/serpentine/cross-bridge structure was developed to monitor and evaluate same layer shorts and step coverage problems (open and high-resistance wire over steps) for integrated circuit fabrication processes. The cross-bridge provides local measurements of wire sheet resistance and wirewidth. These local parametric measurements are used in the analysis of the serpentine wire, which identifies step coverage problems. The comb/serpentine/cross-bridge structure was fabricated with 3 microns CMOS/bulk p-well process and tested using a computer-controlled parametric test system.