Abstract
$SiO_2$ via-hole etching with a high aspect ratio is a key process in fabricating ULSI devices; however, accumulated charge during plasma etching can cause etching stop, micro-loading effects, and charge build-up damage. To alleviate this concern, charge-up damage sensor was fabricated for the ultimate goal of real-time monitoring of accumulated charge. As an effort to reach the ultimate goal, fabricated sensor was used for electrical potential measurements of via holes between two poly-Si electrodes and roughly characterized under various plasma conditions using statistical design of experiment (DOE). The successful identification of potential difference under various plasma conditions not only supports the evidence of potential charge-up damage, but also leads the direction of future study.