MF092800 - SEMI MF928 - Test Method for Edge Contour of Circular Semiconductor Wafers and Rigid Disk Substrates

The edges of circular wafers of electronic materials are frequently required to be shaped after cutting the wafers from the ingot. Contouring the wafer edge reduces the incidence of chipping and minimizes epitaxial edge crown and photoresist edge bead during subsequent processing of the wafer. Similarly, edges of rigid disk substrates are frequently edge shaped.This Test Method described here provide means to determine that the wafer edge contour is appropriate to meet template-coordinate based edge profile specifications, such as SEMI M1 or SEMI M9, which are intended to provide wafers avoiding the difficulties enumerated above.This Test Method provides a means for examining the edge contour of circular wafers of silicon, gallium arsenide, and other electronic materials, and determining fit to limits of contour specified by a template-coordinate based edge profile template that defines a permitted zone through which the contour must pass. Principal application of such a template is in