Advancements in Application of Corona Charge Deposition Technique in Semiconductor Industry: A Review

With the advent of new materials, the microchip industry is investigating new architecture to further scale down the device size. New technologies are on the way to achieving this goal without compromising the device’s performance and benefits. In this new scenario, corona charge deposition technique (CCDT) has become an indispensable part of the thin film industry. Due to the non-invasive and non-destructive nature of corona charge ions, they are effectively being used to improve the device properties. This technique is in use for device characterization and testing. Whole wafer mapping of the SiO2 film on silicon can be carried out employing this technique. Failure analysis of junction field effect transistor (JFET) has clearly established that a device is good by design, not because it is free from surface ions. CCDT is also useful to understand the electrical properties of insulators and other materials. Isotope tracer structures were used to study the corona induced relaxation mechanism in SiO2. Apparently, the stress relaxation mechanism was found to be the deciding factor in oxidant transport through the film. Corona-Kelvin non-contact metrology or the C-KM is a recent development in this field for the characterization of silicon, new materials and dielectrics. It is the newest technology for device cooling. Corona based “ionic wind” is the next generation cooling fan for electronic devices. Different aspects of design and technology are under investigation. Corona Discharge based electrostatic spray coating technology is under investigation for advanced electrode processing of Li-ion batteries. In this paper, the status of all these fields of applications of corona charge deposition technique in the semiconductor industry has been reviewed. Further, the methodology involved is described. The advances as well as challenges and improvements including future research are also discussed.