Applied Materials Israel Limited

Applied Materials, Inc.

Daniel I Some

Gilad Almogy

Silviu Reinhorn

Boris Goldberg

Haim Feldman

Alexander Libinson

Evgeni Levin

Hadar Mazaki

Zvi Howard Phillip

Mirta Perlman

A method for inspecting a substrate for defects, including: A method for inspecting a substrate for defects, the method including the steps of: (i) obtaining at least two wafer element detection signal; each wafer element detection signal reflects light scattered to a distinct direction; each wafer element detection signal having a wafer element detection value; (ii) calculating at least one wafer element attribute value in response to the at least two wafer element detection signals; retrieving at least one reference wafer element attribute value, each wafer element attribute value corresponding to a reference wafer element attribute value; and (iii) determining a relationship between the at least one reference wafer element attribute value, wafer element attribute value and at least one threshold to indicate a presence of a defect.

Multi-detector defect detection system and a method for detecting defects

An optical inspection system rapidly evaluates a substrate by illumination of an area of a substrate larger than a diffraction-limited spot using a coherent laser beam by breaking temporal or spatial coherence. Picosecond or femtosecond pulses from a modelocked laser source are split into a plurality of spatially separated beamlets that are temporally and/or frequency dispersed, and then focused onto a plurality of spots on the substrate. Adjacent spots, which can overlap by up to about 60-70 percent, are illuminated at different times, or at different frequencies, and do not produce mutually interfering coherence effects. Bright-field and dark-field detection schemes are used in various combinations in different embodiments of the system.

High speed laser scanning inspection system

Apparatus for optical inspection of a sample includes a radiation source, adapted to irradiate a spot on the sample with coherent radiation, and collection optics, adapted to collect the radiation scattered from the spot so as to form a beam of scattered radiation. A diffractive optical element (DOE) is positioned to intercept the beam of scattered radiation and is adapted to deflect a first portion of the beam by a predetermined offset relative to a second portion of the beam, and then to optically combine the first portion with the second portion to generate a product beam. A detector is positioned to receive the product beam and to generate a signal responsive thereto, which is processed by a signal processor so as to determine an autocorrelation value of the product beam.

Laser inspection using diffractive elements for enhancement and suppression of surface features

A local area of a sample is focally heated to produce a transient physical deformation. The surface of the structure is optically monitored while the heated area cools to a baseline temperature by illuminating the heated region with one or more probe beams from time to time and detecting returning light. In some embodiments heat dissipation within the structure is correlated with change in optical reflectivity over time. In other embodiments, surface deformation of the structure is correlated with changes in light scattering from the surface. Following application of a pump pulse and no more than 3 probe pulses, a time varying returning light signal is compared with a corresponding returning light signal from a reference. An anomaly in the sample is indicated by a deviation between the two signals. First-degree exponential decay curves may be constructed from the signals, and their decay constants compared.

Optical technique for detecting buried defects in opaque films

An area of a substrate is imaged with and without heating, to obtain a hot image and a cold image respectively. The hot and cold images are compared with one another to identify one or more locations as being defective, e.g. if the result of comparison at one location differs significantly relative to other locations. The comparison results in all locations form a differential image, and in several embodiments a number of differential images are obtained by repeatedly heating, imaging and comparing. In such embodiments, multiple differential images are averaged at each location, to improve the signal to noise ratio. Pump and probe lasers may be used for heating and for illumination respectively, or alternatively a single laser may be employed to generate both pump and probe beams.

Full frame thermal pump probe technique for detecting subsurface defects

Systems and methods for optical inspection of patterned and non-patterned objects. The methods include determining a state of polarization of light reflected from the object, establishing a polarization state of the incident light, and filtering the reflected light by polarization so as to provide an optical signal that is detected by a detector.

Method and system for optical inspection of an object

Apparatus for optical assessment of a sample includes a radiation source, adapted to generate a beam of coherent radiation, and traveling lens optics, adapted to focus the beam so as to generate first and second spots on a surface of the sample and to scan the spots together over the surface. The distance between the first and second spots is responsive to a pitch of a repetitive pattern of the sample. Collection optics are positioned to collect the radiation scattered from the first and second spots and to focus the collected radiation so as to generate an interference pattern. A detector detects a change in the interference pattern.

Apparatus and method for dual spot inspection of repetitive patterns

A variable illumination angle inspection system is provided, including a light source providing a light beam and a scanner imparting scanning deflection to the light beam to provide a scanning beam approaching a substrate at a first angle. A deflection element is selectively insertable into an optical path of the scanning beam to deflect the scanning beam so as to cause the scanning beam to approach the substrate at a second angle.

Variable angle illumination wafer inspection system

An optical inspection apparatus and method is provided that utilizes both linear and nonlinear optical phenomena to detect defects. Embodiments include irradiating a portion of the surface of an article, such as a semiconductor device, with a light beam, such as a scanning laser at an incident wavelength. The light emanating from the irradiated surface portion is then separated into light at the incident wavelength and light at one or more predetermined non-incident wavelengths, as by a diffraction grating, prism or filters. The light at the incident and nonincident wavelengths is sent to separate detectors, such as photomultipliers (PMT), which respectively convert the detected linear optical phenomena (representing, e.g., surface topography) into an electrical signal, and the detected nonlinear optical phenomena, such as fluorescence, Raman scattering and/or second harmonic generation, into electrical signals representing, e.g., chemical composition and material interfaces. The signal from each detector is sent to a processor, which generates a defect map based on the information gleaned from both the linear and nonlinear optical phenomena.

Laser scanning wafer inspection using nonlinear optical phenomena

Apparatus for spatial filtering includes a Fourier lens, adapted to collect radiation emitted from a point and to separate the collected radiation into spatial components in a Fourier plane of the lens, and a programmable spatial filter, positioned at the Fourier plane. An image sensor is optically coupled to capture an image of the spatial components of the collected radiation in the Fourier plane, while the components are incident on the filter. A filter controller is coupled to receive and analyze the image captured by the image sensor and, responsive thereto, to control the spatial filter so as to block one or more of the spatial components.

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Rehovot, Israel

Daniel I Some