The authors investigated charge accumulation in high-aspect-ratio contact-hole structures by using the new on-wafer monitoring device they fabricated on a Si substrate of 8 in. in diameter by using a conventional production process for semiconductor devices. The device has high-aspect-ratio contact-hole structures that are comparable with the practical interconnect structures of recent dynamic random access memory devices. In this article they discuss charge accumulation and the electric conductivity of fluorocarbon polymer deposited on the sidewall in high-aspect-ratio contact holes during plasma etching processes. They also monitored the charge accumulation during pulse-time-modulated (TM) plasma etching of high-aspect-ratio SiO2 contact-hole structures and found that the charge accumulation potential between the top and bottom of the contact-hole structures increased with the aspect ratio of the contact holes. Even in high-aspect-ratio contact holes the charge accumulated during TM plasma exposure was less than that accumulated during the conventional continuous-wave plasma exposure. The electrical conductivity of the fluorocarbon polymer deposited on the sidewall was increased by ion bombardment and was lower in high-aspect-ratio contact holes than in low-aspect-ratio contact holes. The new on-wafer monitoring device is a very effective tool for investigating local charge accumulation during the etching of device structures. (C) 2007 American Vacuum Society.