Applied Materials Israel Limited

Amir Moshe Sagiv

Shmuel Mangan

Haim Feldman

Boris Goldberg

Mariano Abramson

Ron Naftali

Yoram Uziel

On Haran

Lev Faivishevsky

Ishai Schwarzband

Boris Golberg

Adam Baer

Sergey Khristo

Chaim Braude

Michael Ben-Yishay

Uriel Malul

Roman Vander

A method for determining a distance between a near field sensor and a substrate, the method may include creating a diffraction pattern by illuminating, with a beam of coherent radiation having a wavelength that does not exceed twenty nanometers, a slit that is formed between the substrate and an opaque element; detecting, by a detector, multiple portions of the diffraction pattern and generating detection signals indicative of the multiple portions of the diffraction pattern; processing the detection signals to determine a height of the slit; and determining the distance between the near field sensor and the substrate based upon (a) the height of the slit, and (b) a relationship between the height of the slit and a location of the near field sensor.

Near-field sensor height control

Methods and systems for designing a binary spatial filter based on data indicative of a desired exposure condition to be emulated by an inspection system, and for implementing the binary spatial filter in an optical path of the inspection system, thereby enabling emulation of the desired exposure condition by interacting a light beam of the inspection system with the binary spatial filter. The present method and systems enable on-the-fly and on-demand design and implementation/generation of spatial filters for use in inspection systems.

Method and system for use of binary spatial filters

An on-tool measurement system and a method for measuring optical system's wavefront (WF) aberrations are disclosed. The on-tool measurement system includes an optical setup comprising a moveable deflection element further comprising a highly transparent region. The deflection element includes a first surface configured to project a first image of at least one object onto a sensor and the highly transparent region includes a second surface configured to project a second image of the at least one object onto the sensor. The on-tool measurement system includes a sensor configured to capture the first and second images and a controller configured to measure differential displacements between the first and second images at each deflection element position and to calculate the optical setup local WF gradients that depend on the measured differential displacements.

On-tool wavefront aberrations measurement system and method

An optical system having coherence reduction capabilities includes a light source for generating a first light pulse; an asymmetrical pulse stretcher arranged to receive the first light pulse and to generate multiple light pulses, during a pulse sequence generation period, wherein the asymmetrical pulse stretcher includes multiple optical components which define a loop and a condenser lens is located between the asymmetrical pulse stretcher and an object, for directing the multiple pulses toward an area on the object At least two optical components of the multiple optical components are positioned in an almost symmetrical manner in relation to each other and introduce a coherence-related difference between at least two pulses of the multiple pulses. The pulse sequence generation period does not exceed a response period of a detector.

Method and system for coherence reduction

Method and system for creation of binary spatial filters

Evaluating error sources associated with a mask involves: (i) receiving data representative of multiple images of the mask that were obtained at different exposure conditions; (ii) calculating, for multiple sub-frames of each image of the mask, values of a function of intensities of pixels of each sub-frame to provide multiple calculated values; and (iii) detecting error sources in response to calculated values and in response to sensitivities of the function to each error source.

System and method for evaluating error sources associated with a mask

A method and system for evaluating an object that has a repetitive pattern. Illumination optics of an optical unit are adapted to scan a spot of radiation over a repetitive pattern that includes multiple regularly repeating structural elements that are optically distinguishable from their background, generating a diffraction pattern that includes multiple diffraction lobes. Collection optics are adapted to focus radiation from the repetitive pattern onto a detector. The focused radiation includes a single diffraction lobe while not including other diffraction lobes. A grey field detector generates detection signals, responsive to the focused collected radiation. The optical unit is adapted to maintain, at a detection surface of the grew field detector, a radiation pattern that includes a first radiation pattern component resulting from the repetitive pattern and a second radiation pattern component resulting from a defect; wherein the first radiation pattern component is stronger than the second radiation component.

Method and system for evaluating an object that has a repetitive pattern

A system, method and computer readable medium for reticle evaluation, the method includes: (i) obtaining, during an imaging process, multiple images of the reticle under different polarization and optionally interferometric conditions; and (ii) generating an output aerial image in response to (i) the multiple images and (ii) differences between the imaging process and an exposure process; wherein during the exposure process an image of the reticle is projected onto a wafer.

Growing community of inventors

Beit-Zayit, Israel

Amir Moshe Sagiv