DEVELOPMENTS AT NIST Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are working on the following technologies. For further information, contact the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2200, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-2200; Telecopy: 301-869-2751. This is not an announcement of a contract action or grant. Researchers in the Polymers Division of Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a new technology relating to pressure measurement using the properties of polarized light. Any parties interested in this technology may contact Anthony J. Bur, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8542, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8542. NIST DOCKET NUMBER :00-001PA, Title: Capacitive Sensors for a CD-Metrology Application in Semiconductor Fabrication, Description: The invention responds to the need for nondestructive measurement of thin resist lines, on the order of 0.1m thickness.The industry goal is to ensure that resist line thickness falls within given tolerances before processing the resist-coated wafer. In the invention, the capacitance between two conductive plates is measured before and after the plates are positioned to sandwich the resist line or other insulating artifact between them without contacting any resist (i.e. line sides, or line-top or floor). Calculation suggests that the measurement can provide the required nonometer-scale resolution. A macro-scale apparatus has been constructed to demonstrate the basic concept. An operational sensing head might be micromachined. A variant of the invention with multiple conducting plates measures the spacing of adjacent resist lines in a multi-line structure. NIST DOCKET NUMBER: 00-018US, Title: Inorganic Non-metallic, Wire Bondable Top Surface Coating for use in Wire Bonding to Copper Metallization on Semiconductor Chips, Description: The invention addresses the problem of electrically interconnecting coppper metallized semiconductor chips to their packages with wire bonding. A thin, inorganic film is deposited such that it will break-up during the wire bonding process and be pushed aside. Selected film materials are compatible with and normally used for other purposes in wafer fabrication processing. WEB: NIST Contracts Homepage, http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. E-MAIL: NIST Contracts Office, anthony.bur@nist.gov. Posted 05/18/00 (W-SN456404).

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