.".. ALTECH 2003 was Symposium J1 held at the 203rd Meeting of the Electrochemical Society in Paris, France from April 27 to May 2, 2003 ... Symposium M1, Diagnostic Techniques for Semiconductor Materials and Devices, was part of the 202nd Meeting of the Electrochemical Society held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from October 21 to 25, 2002 ..."--p. iii.

The fabrication of Si- and compound semiconductor-based devices involves a number of steps ranging from material growth to pattern definition by lithography, and ultimately, pattern transfer by etching/deposition. The key to device manufacturing, however, is reproducibility, low cost and high yield. Diagnostic techniques allow correlation between processing and actual device performance to be established. Researchers from universities, industry and government come together in this book to examine the advances in diagnostic techniques that provide critical information on structural, optical and electrical properties of semiconductor devices, as well as monitoring techniques for equipment/processes for control and feedback. The overriding goal is for rapid, accurate materials characterization, both in situ and ex situ. Topics include: in situ diagnostics; proximal probe microscopies; optical probes of devices and device properties; spectroscopic ellipsometry/structural diagnostics; and material analysis - X-ray techniques, strain measurements and passivation.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

There is a growing awareness that the successful implementation of novel material systems and technology steps in the fabrication of microelectronic and optoelectronic devices, is critically dependent on the understanding and control of the materials, the process steps and their interactions. The contributions in this volume demonstrate that characterisation and analysis techniques are an essential support mechanism for research in these fields. Current major research themes are reviewed both in the development and application of diagnostic techniques for advanced materials analysis and fabrication process control. Two distinct trends are elucidated: the emergence and evaluation of sophisticated in situ optical diagnostic techniques such as photoreflectance and spectroellipsometry and the industrial application of ultra-high sensitivity chemical analysis techniques for contamination monitoring. The volume will serve as a useful and timely overview of this increasingly important field.