Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

Christopher Sears

Xinrong Jiang

Luca Grella

Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi

Robert Haynes

Nikolai N Chubun

Sameet K Shriyan

David Trease

Alan D Brodie

Stefan Eyring

John Gerling

Tomas Plettner

Youfei Jiang

Khashayar Shadman

Harsh Sinha

David Kaz

Henning Stoschus

Kevin Cummings

Wei Ye

Mark Armstrong McCord

Fred E Stanke

Brian Duffy

Scott Allen Young

Gabor D Toth

Grace Hsiu-Ling Chen

Douglas K Masnaghetti

Frank Laske

Amir Azordegan

Thanh Huy Ha

Hedong Yang

Richard R Simmons

Mark Allen Neil

Rainer Knippelmeyer

Laurence S Hordon

Oscar G Florendo

Ralph Nyffenegger

Garrett Pickard

Michael Steigerwald

Aron Welk

Ben Clarke

Jianwei Wang

Jeong Ho Lee

John Rouse

Daniel Bui

Mehran Nasser Ghodsi

Ichiro Honjo

Huina Xu

Arjun Hegde

Douglas Larson

Edward Wagner

Doug Larson

Felipe Fuks

An electron source is disclosed. The electron source may include an electron emitter configured to generate one or more electron beams. The electron source may further include a magnetic suppressor electrode surrounding at least a portion of the electron emitter. The magnetic suppressor electrode may be formed from one or more magnetic materials. The magnetic suppressor may be configured to shield at least a portion of the electron emitter from an axial magnetic field. The electron source may further include an extractor electrode positioned adjacent to a tip of the electron emitter.

Electron source with magnetic suppressor electrode

A scanning electron microscopy system may include an electron-optical sub-system and a controller. The electron-optical sub-system may include an electron source and an electron-optical column configured to direct an electron beam to a sample. The electron-optical column may include a double-lens assembly, a beam limiting aperture disposed between a first and second lens of the double-lens assembly, and a detector assembly configured to detect electrons scattered from the sample. In embodiments, the controller of the scanning electron microscopy system may be configured to: cause the electron-optical sub-system to form a flooding electron beam and perform flooding scans of the sample with the flooding electron beam; cause the electron-optical sub-system to form an imaging electron beam and perform imaging scans of the sample with the imaging electron beam; receive images acquired by the detector assembly during the imaging scans; and determine characteristics of the sample based on the images.

Joint electron-optical columns for flood-charging and image-forming in voltage contrast wafer inspections

A multi-electron beam system that forms hundreds of beamlets can focus the beamlets, reduce Coulomb interaction effects, and improve resolutions of the beamlets. A Wien filter with electrostatic and magnetic deflection fields can separate the secondary electron beams from the primary electron beams and can correct the astigmatism and source energy dispersion blurs for all the beamlets simultaneously.

Method and system of image-forming multi-electron beams

Embodiments may include methods, systems, and apparatuses for correcting a response function of an electron beam tool. The correcting may include modulating an electron beam parameter having a frequency; emitting an electron beam based on the electron beam parameter towards a specimen, thereby scattering electrons, wherein the electron beam is described by a source wave function having a source phase and a landing angle; detecting a portion of the scattered electrons at an electron detector, thereby yielding electron data including an electron wave function having an electron phase and an electron landing angle; determining, using a processor, a phase delay between the source phase and the electron phase, thereby yielding a latency; and correcting, using the processor, the response function of the electron beam tool using the latency and a difference between the source wave function and the electron wave function.

Detection and correction of system responses in real-time

An electron-beam device includes upper-column electron optics and lower-column electron optics. The upper-column electron optics include an aperture array to divide an electron beam into a plurality of electron beamlets. The upper-column electron optics also include a lens array with a plurality of lenses to adjust the focus of the plurality of electron beamlets. Respective lenses of the plurality of lenses are to adjust the focus of respective electron beamlets of the plurality of electron beamlets. The upper-column electron optics further include a first global lens to adjust the focus of the plurality of electron beamlets in a manner opposite to the lens array.

Systems and methods of creating multiple electron beams

A detection and correction method for an electron beam system are provided. The method includes emitting an electron beam towards a specimen; modulating a beam current of the electron beam to obtain a beam signal. The method further includes detecting, using an electron detector, secondary and/or backscattered electrons emitted by the specimen to obtain electron data, wherein the electron data defines a detection signal. The method further includes determining, using a processor, a phase shift between the beam signal and the detection signal. The method further includes filtering, using the processor, the detection signal based on the phase shift.

An electron source emits an electron beam. The electron beam is received by a beam limiting assembly. The beam limiting assembly has a first beam limiting aperture with a first diameter and a second beam limiting aperture with a second diameter larger than the first diameter. The first beam limiting aperture receives the electron beam. This beam limiting assembly reduces the influence of Coulomb interactions.

High resolution electron beam apparatus with dual-aperture schemes

An electron beam system for wafer inspection and review of 3D devices provides a depth of focus up to 20 microns. To inspect and review wafer surfaces or sub-micron-below surface defects with low landing energies in hundreds to thousands of electron Volts, a Wien-filter-free beam splitting optics with three magnetic deflectors can be used with an energy-boosting upper Wehnelt electrode to reduce spherical and chromatic aberration coefficients of the objective lens.

Electron beam system for inspection and review of 3D devices

Multi-beam e-beam columns and inspection systems that use such multi-beam e-beam columns are disclosed. A multi-beam e-beam column configured in accordance with the present disclosure may include an electron source and a multi-lens array configured to produce a plurality of beamlets utilizing electrons provided by the electron source. The multi-lens array may be further configured to shift a focus of at least one particular beamlet of the plurality of beamlets such that the focus of the at least one particular beamlet is different from a focus of at least one other beamlet of the plurality of beamlets.

Field curvature correction for multi-beam inspection systems

Electron gun systems with a particular inner width dimension, sweep electrodes, or a combination of a particular inner width dimension and sweep electrodes are disclosed. The inner width dimension may be less than twice a value of a Larmor radius of secondary electrons in a channel downstream of a beam limiting aperture, and a Larmor time for the secondary electrons may be greater than 1 ns. The sweep electrode can generates an electric field in a drift region, which can increase kinetic energy of secondary electrons in the channel.

Space charge insensitive electron gun designs

Systems and methods to focus and align multiple electron beams are disclosed. A camera produces image data of light from electron beams that is projected at a fiber optics array with multiple targets. An image processing module determines an adjustment to a voltage applied to a relay lens, a field lens, or a multi-pole array based on the image data. The adjustment minimizes at least one of a displacement, a defocus, or an aberration of one of the electron beams. Using a control module, the voltage is applied to the relay lens, the field lens, or the multi-pole array.

Charge control device for a system with multiple electron beams

A system is disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes an electron source and a micro-lens array (MLA) configured to receive one or more primary electron beams from the electron source and split the one or more primary electron beams into a plurality of primary electron beamlets. In embodiments, the system further includes a micro-stigmator array (MSA) including a plurality of dodecapole electrostatic stigmators, wherein the MSA is configured to eliminate at least one of fourth-order focusing aberrations or sixth-order focusing aberrations of the plurality of primary electron beamlets. In embodiments, the system further includes projection optics configured to receive the plurality of primary electron beamlets and focus the plurality of primary electron beamlets onto a surface of a sample.

Micro stigmator array for multi electron beam system

A magnetically microfocused electron emission source apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include a magnetic emitter unit, wherein the magnetic emitter unit comprises an emitter. Further, the magnetic emitter unit may include one or more magnetic portions formed from one or more magnetic materials, wherein the one or more magnetic portions of the magnetic emitter unit are configured to generate a magnetic field proximate to a tip of the emitter of the magnetic emitter unit for enhancing focusing of the emitted electrons from the electron emitter.

Magnetically microfocused electron emission source

A high-resolution electron energy analyzer is disclosed. In one embodiment, the electron energy analyzer includes an electrostatic lens configured to generate an energy-analyzing field region, decelerate electrons of an electron beam generated by an electron source, and direct the decelerated electrons of the electron beam to the energy-analyzing field region. In another embodiment, the electron energy analyzer includes an electron detector configured to receive one or more electrons passed through the energy-analyzing field region. In another embodiment, the electron detector is further configured to generate one or more signals based on the one or more received electrons.

High resolution electron energy analyzer

Objective lens alignment of a scanning electron microscope review tool with fewer image acquisitions can be obtained using the disclosed techniques and systems. Two different X-Y voltage pairs for the scanning electron microscope can be determined based on images. A second image based on the first X-Y voltage pair can be used to determine a second X-Y voltage pair. The X-Y voltage pairs can be applied at the Q4 lens or other optical components of the scanning electron microscope.

Scanning electron microscope objective lens calibration using X-Y voltages iteratively determined from images obtained using said voltages

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Christopher Sears