Kla Tencor Corporation

Christian Sparka

Mark Davis Smith

David Tien

William Pierson

Onur Demirer

Hoyoung Heo

Jeremy Nabeth

Stuart Sherwin

Fatima Anis

James Manka

Ramkumar Karur-Shanmugam

Choon (George) Hoong Hoo

A semiconductor tool includes an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, one or more illumination optical elements to direct a portion of the illumination beam to a sample, a detector, one or more collection optical elements to direct radiation emanating from the sample to the detector, and a controller communicatively coupled to the detector. The controller is configured to measure alignment at a plurality of locations across the sample to generate alignment data, select an analysis area for alignment zone determination, divide the analysis area into two or more alignment zones having different alignment signatures; model the alignment data of at least a first alignment zone of the two or more alignment zones using a first alignment model, and model the alignment data of at least a second alignment zone of the two or more alignment zones using a second alignment model different than the first alignment model.

Systems and methods for automated multi-zone detection and modeling

The present disclosure is directed to a method of determining one or more focus values for a lithographic scanner. An optical signal including at least a first variable and a second variable is detected by an optical analysis system from at least one test sample for a plurality of programmed focus error values. A first variable value showing sensitivity to focus is selected based upon a corresponding responsiveness of the second variable to change of focus and/or a corresponding linearity of raw focus with respect to the programmed focus error. At least one focus value for the lithographic scanner is determined based upon at least one determined raw focus value corresponding to the selected first variable value.

Focus recipe determination for a lithographic scanner

Growing community of inventors

Dresden, Germany

Christian Sparka