Kla Corporation

Kla Tencor Corporation

Dawei Hu

Qiang Zhao

Houssam Chouaib

Natalia Malkova

Ming Di

Zhengquan Tan

Aaron J Rosenberg

Leonid Poslavsky

Alexander Kuznetsov

Liequan Lee

Andrei V Shchegrov

Stilian Pandev

Torsten Rudolf Kaack

Mikhail M Sushchik

Manh Dang Nguyen

John Lesoine

Kai-Hsiang Lin

Tianhan Wang

Shankar Krishnan

David Y Wang

Xuefeng Liu

Guorong Vera Zhuang

Paul Aoyagi

Carlos L Ygartua

Mengmeng Ye

Phillip Atkins

Manh Nguyen

A spectroscopic metrology system includes a spectroscopic metrology tool and a controller. The controller generates a model of a multilayer grating including two or more layers, the model including geometric parameters indicative of a geometry of a test layer of the multilayer grating and dispersion parameters indicative of a dispersion of the test layer. The controller further receives a spectroscopic signal of a fabricated multilayer grating corresponding to the modeled multilayer grating from the spectroscopic metrology tool. The controller further determines values of the one or more parameters of the modeled multilayer grating providing a simulated spectroscopic signal corresponding to the measured spectroscopic signal within a selected tolerance. The controller further predicts a bandgap of the test layer of the fabricated multilayer grating based on the determined values of the one or more parameters of the test layer of the fabricated structure.

Bandgap measurements of patterned film stacks using spectroscopic metrology

Methods and systems for measuring optical properties of transistor channel structures and linking the optical properties to the state of strain are presented herein. Optical scatterometry measurements of strain are performed on metrology targets that closely mimic partially manufactured, real device structures. In one aspect, optical scatterometry is employed to measure uniaxial strain in a semiconductor channel based on differences in measured spectra along and across the semiconductor channel. In a further aspect, the effect of strain on measured spectra is decorrelated from other contributors, such as the geometry and material properties of structures captured in the measurement. In another aspect, measurements are performed on a metrology target pair including a strained metrology target and a corresponding unstrained metrology target to resolve the geometry of the metrology target under measurement and to provide a reference for the estimation of the absolute value of strain.

Scatterometry based methods and systems for measurement of strain in semiconductor structures

A system includes a light source, a Fourier transform infrared reflectometer (FTIR) spectrometer, and broadband reflectometer optics. The system is configured to measure polarized light and unpolarized reflectivities in a wavelength range from 2 &#x3bc;m to 20 &#x3bc;m. The light source can be a laser-driven light source. The spectroscopic reflectometer can include a single channel or two channels.

Multi-environment polarized infrared reflectometer for semiconductor metrology

A parameterized geometric model of a structure can be determined based on spectra from a wafer metrology tool. The structure can have geometry-induced anisotropic effects. Dispersion parameters of the structure can be determined from the parameterized geometric model. This can enable metrology techniques to measure nanostructures that have geometries and relative positions with surrounding structures that induce non-negligible anisotropic effects. These techniques can be used to characterize process steps involving metal and semiconductor targets in semiconductor manufacturing of, for example, FinFETs or and gate-all-around field-effect transistors.

Measurement methodology of advanced nanostructures

Methods and systems for estimating values of parameters of interest from optical measurements of a sample early in a production flow based on a multidimensional optical dispersion (MDOD) model are presented herein. An MDOD model describes optical dispersion of materials comprising a structure under measurement in terms of parameters external to a base optical dispersion model. In some examples, a power law model describes the physical relationship between the external parameters and a parameter of the base optical dispersion model. In some embodiments, one or more external parameters are treated as unknown values that are resolved based on spectral measurement data. In some embodiments, one or more external parameters are treated as known values, and values of base optical dispersion model parameters, one or more external parameters having unknown values, or both, are resolved based on spectral measurement data and the known values of the one or more external parameters.

Multi-dimensional model of optical dispersion

Methods and systems for determining band structure characteristics of high-k dielectric films deposited over a substrate based on spectral response data are presented. High throughput spectrometers are utilized to quickly measure semiconductor wafers early in the manufacturing process. Optical models of semiconductor structures capable of accurate characterization of defects in high-K dielectric layers and embedded nanostructures are presented. In one example, the optical dispersion model includes a continuous Cody-Lorentz model having continuous first derivatives that is sensitive to a band gap of a layer of the unfinished, multi-layer semiconductor wafer. These models quickly and accurately represent experimental results in a physically meaningful manner. The model parameter values can be subsequently used to gain insight and control over a manufacturing process.

Dispersion model for band gap tracking

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Shanghai, China

Dawei Hu