Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Fei Comapny

Carl Zeiss Microscopy Gmbh

Chuong Huynh

Thomas Korb

Dmitry Klochkov

John Anthony Notte, Iv

Neil J Bassom

Diane Stewart

Amir Avishai

Alex Buxbaum

Bernhard Goetze

A dual-beam device, such as, a scanning electron microscope combined with a focused-ion beam milling column, is employed for a slice-in-image process. Based on one or more images of at least one cross-section of a test volume of a wafer, a wafer tilt is determined.

Wafer-tilt determination for slice-and-image process

The present invention relates to a method for measuring a sample with a microscope, the method comprising scanning the sample using a focusing plane having a first angle with respect to a top surface of the sample and computing a confidence distance based on the first angle. The method further comprises selecting at least one among a plurality of alignment markers on the sample for performing a lateral alignment of the scanning step and/or for performing a lateral alignment of an output of the scanning step. In particular, the at least one alignment marker selected at the selecting step is chosen among the alignment markers placed within the confidence distance from an intersection of the focusing plane with the top surface.

Method for measuring a sample and microscope implementing the method

Disclosed is a charged particle beam system comprising a charged particle beam column having a charged particle source forming a charged particle beam, an objective lens and a first deflection system for changing a position of impingement of the charged particle beam in a sample plane. The system further comprises a sample chamber comprising a sample stage for holding a sample to be processed, and a controller configured to create and store a height map of a sample surface. The controller is further configured to dynamically adjust the objective lens of the charged particle beam in dependence on a position of impingement of the charged particle beam according to the height map.

Charged particle beam system and methods

A method of improving focused ion beam milling particularly suitable for uniformly removing multiple layers of conductor and dielectric, such as the removal of multiple layers consisting of dummy copper pads and SiOon a semiconductor device. Variable Pixel Milling is first used to more uniformly remove most of a layer of conductor and dielectric. The use of Variable Pixel Milling may also be used in conjunction with a technique whereby incoming ions pass through a sacrificial layer formed on the surface of the layer being removed in order to further increase uniformity of material removal. Focused ion beam sputtering in conjunction with an oxygen containing gas, such as HO vapor or oxygen, is then used to smooth out the trench floor before the next layer is removed.

Dummy copper deprocessing

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Quincy, MA, United States of America

Chuong Huynh