Globalfoundries Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd.

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries U.S. Inc.

Nova Corporation

Alok Vaid

Matthew J Sendelbach

Lokesh Subramany

Sipeng Gu

Xiang Hu

Akshey Sehgal

Cornel Bozdog

Taher E Kagalwala

Rohit Pal

Kevin R Lensing

Carsten Hartig

Sridhar Mahendrakar

Padraig Timoney

Jed Hickory Rankin

Wei Ti Lee

David E Brown

Heath A Pois

Paul Isbester

Ezra D B Hall

Abner Bello

Shahin Zangooie

Shay Yogev

Mark Klare

Yoav Etzioni

Narender N Rana

Nedal R Saleh

Mainul Hossain

Givantha Iddawela

Ned R Saleh

Gilad Wainreb

Etai Littwin

Michael Klots

A monitoring system and method are provided for determining at least one property of an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a multi-layer structure formed by at least a layer on top of an underlayer. The monitoring system receives measured data comprising data indicative of optical measurements performed on the IC, data indicative of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements performed on the IC and data indicative of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) measurements performed on the IC. An optical data analyzer module analyzes the data indicative of the optical measurements and generates geometrical data indicative of one or more geometrical parameters of the multi-layer structure formed by at least the layer on top of the underlayer. An XPS data analyzer module analyzes the data indicative of the XPS measurements and generates geometrical and material related data indicative of geometrical and material composition parameters for said layer and data indicative of material composition of the underlayer. An XRF data analyzer module analyzes the data indicative of the XRF measurements and generates data indicative of amount of a predetermined material composition in the multi-layer structure. A data interpretation module generates combined data received from analyzer modules and processes the combined data and determines the at least one property of at least one layer of the multi-layer structure.

Method and system for non-destructive metrology of thin layers

A process control method for manufacturing semiconductor devices, including determining a quality metric of a production semiconductor wafer by comparing production scatterometric spectra of a production structure of the production wafer with reference scatterometric spectra of a reference structure of reference semiconductor wafers, the production structure corresponding to the reference structure, the reference spectra linked by machine learning to a reference measurement value of the reference structure, determining a process control parameter value (PCPV) of a wafer processing step, the PCPV determined based on measurement of the production wafer and whose contribution to the PCPV is weighted with a first predefined weight based on the quality metric, and based on a measurement of a different wafer and whose contribution to the PCPV is weighted with a second predefined weight based on the quality metric, and controlling, with the PCPV, the processing step during fabrication.

Process control of semiconductor fabrication based on spectra quality metrics

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus including mask pattern formed on a mask substrate. A plurality of spatial radiation modulators may be vertically displaced from the mask pattern, and distributed across a two-dimensional area. Each of the plurality of spatial radiation modulators may be adjustable between a first transparent state and a second transparent state to control whether radiation transmitted through the mask pattern passes through each of the plurality of spatial radiation modulators.

Apparatus and related method to control radiation transmission through mask pattern

Measuring SRAM structures having FinFET transistors by obtaining, on a production semiconductor wafer, spectra of a SRAM production structure including FinFET fins and gates, identifying SRAM reference structure spectra corresponding to the spectra, the reference structure from measuring, on a reference semiconductor wafer, a reference structure including a layout of FinFET fins having gates, injecting, into an OCD model of the production structure, fin target parameter values, corresponding to the identified reference structure spectra, from measuring, on the reference wafer, a fin target including a layout of exposed FinFET fins lacking gates similar or identical to the reference structure layout, correspondence between the fin target parameter values and the reference structure spectra previously identified by ML, and determining measurement values for the FinFET gates of the production structure by fitting reference spectra associated with the production structure in the OCD model to the production structure spectra.

Measuring complex structures in semiconductor fabrication

Methodologies and an apparatus for enabling three-dimensional scatterometry to be used to measure a thickness of dielectric layers in semiconductor devices are provided. Embodiments include initiating optical critical dimension (OCD) scatterometry on a three-dimensional test structure formed on a wafer, the three-dimensional test structure comprising patterned copper (Cu) trenches with an ultra-low k (ULK) dielectric film formed over the patterned Cu trenches; and obtaining, by a processor, a thickness of the ULK dielectric film based on results of the OCD scatterometry.

Three-dimensional scatterometry for measuring dielectric thickness

A method and system are presented for use in model-based optical measurements in patterned structures. The method comprises: selecting an optimal optical model for interpretation of optical measured data indicative of optical response of the structure under measurements. The selection of the optimal optical model comprises: creating a complete optical model with floating parameters defining multiple configurations of said complete model including one or more model configurations describing an optical response of the structure under measurements, utilizing the complete model for predicting a reference optical response from the structure and generating corresponding virtual reference data, and using the virtual reference data for selecting the optimal optical model for interpretation of the optical measured data.

Scatterometry method and system

Approaches for providing a substrate having a planar metrology pad adjacent a set of fins of a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) device are disclosed. Specifically, the FinFET device comprises a finned substrate, and a planar metrology pad formed on the substrate adjacent the fins in a metrology measurement area of the FinFET device. Processing steps include forming a first hardmask over the substrate, forming a photoresist over a portion of the first hardmask in the metrology measurement area of the FinFET device, removing the first hardmask in an area adjacent the metrology measurement area remaining exposed following formation of the photoresist, patterning a set of openings in the substrate to form the set of fins in the FinFET device in the area adjacent the metrology measurement area, depositing an oxide layer over the FinFET device, and planarizing the FinFET device to form the planar metrology pad in the metrology measurement area.

Planar metrology pad adjacent a set of fins of a fin field effect transistor device

A measurement method and system are presented for in-line measurements of one or more parameters of thin films in structures progressing on a production line. First measured data and second measured data are provided from multiple measurements sites on the thin film being measured, wherein the first measured data corresponds to first type measurements from a first selected set of a relatively small number of the measurement sites, and the second measured data corresponds to second type optical measurements from a second set of significantly higher number of the measurements sites. The first measured data is processed for determining at least one value of at least one parameter of the thin film in each of the measurement sites of said first set. Such at least one parameter value is utilized for interpreting the second measured data, thereby obtaining data indicative of distribution of values of said at least one parameter within said second set of measurement sites.

Measurement system and method for measuring in thin films

Systems and methods for controlling manufacturing processes for microelectronic components are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a method includes determining a specification range for a desired parameter. The microelectronic component is processed in a manufacturing tool, and a trace data set is recorded during the processing. An estimated trace data parameter is determined with the trace data set, and a first measured value of the microelectronic component is measured in a measurement tool. An estimated desired parameter is determined using the first measured value and the estimated trace data parameter, and the manufacturing process is adjusted when the estimated desired parameter is outside of the specification range.

Systems and methods of controlling a manufacturing process for a microelectronic component

Methods and systems are provided for fabricating and measuring features of a semiconductor device structure. An exemplary method of fabricating a semiconductor device structure involves fabricating a feature of the semiconductor device structure on a wafer of semiconductor material, determining a hybrid recipe for measuring the feature, configuring a plurality of metrology tools to implement the hybrid recipe, and obtaining a hybrid measurement of the feature in accordance with the hybrid recipe.

Automated hybrid metrology for semiconductor device fabrication

Measurement of thickness of layers of a circuit structure is obtained, where the thickness of the layers is measured using an optical critical dimension (OCD) measurement technique, and the layers includes a high-k layer and an interfacial layer. Measurement of thickness of the high-k layer is separately obtained, where the thickness of the high-k layer is measured using a separate measurement technique from the OCD measurement technique. The separate measurement technique provides greater decoupling, as compared to the OCD measurement technique, of a signal for thickness of the high-k layer from a signal for thickness of the interfacial layer of the layers. Characteristics of the circuit structure, such as a thickness of the interfacial layer, are ascertained using, in part, the separately obtained thickness measurement of the high-k layer.

Decoupling measurement of layer thicknesses of a plurality of layers of a circuit structure

Methods and systems are provided for fabricating and measuring physical features of a semiconductor device structure. An exemplary method of fabricating a semiconductor device structure involves obtaining raw measurement data for a wafer of semiconductor material from a metrology tool and adjusting a measurement model utilized by a metrology tool based at least in part on the raw measurement data and a value for a design parameter. The wafer has that value for the design parameter and an attribute of the semiconductor device structure fabricated thereon, wherein the measurement model is utilized by the metrology tool to convert the raw measurement data to a measurement value for the attribute.

Systems and methods for fabricating semiconductor device structures

Approaches for providing a planar metrology pad adjacent a set of fins of a fin field effect transistor (FinFET) device are disclosed. A previously deposited amorphous carbon layer can be removed from over a mandrel that has been previously formed on a subset of a substrate, such as using a photoresist. A pad hardmask can be formed over the mandrel on the subset of the substrate. This formation results in the subset of the substrate having the pad hardmask covering the mandrel thereon and the remainder of the substrate having the amorphous carbon layer covering the mandrel thereon. This amorphous carbon layer can be removed from over the mandrel on the remainder of the substrate, allowing a set of fins to be formed therein while the amorphous carbon layer keeps the set of fins from being formed in the portion of the substrate that it covers.

Growing community of inventors

Ballston Lake, NY, United States of America

Alok Vaid