Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

Eugene Maslovsky

Amnon Manassen

Andrew V Hill

Nadav Gutman

Yoav Grauer

Anna Golotsvan

Eitan Hajaj

Yossi Simon

Shlomo Eisenbach

Alexander Novikov

A product includes at least one semiconductor substrate, multiple thin-film layers disposed on the at least one substrate, and an overlay target formed in at least one of the thin-film layers. The overlay target includes a first sub-target having a first center of symmetry and including first target features having a first linewidth, and a second sub-target having a second center of symmetry coincident with the first center of symmetry and including second target features, which have a second linewidth, greater than the first linewidth, and are adjacent to but non-overlapping with the first target features.

Multi-resolution overlay metrology targets

Metrology systems and methods are provided, which derive metrology target position on the wafer and possibly the target focus position during the movement of the wafer on the system's stage. The positioning data is derived before the target arrives its position (on-the-fly), sparing the time required in the prior art for the acquisition stage and increasing the throughput of the systems and methods. The collection channel may be split to provide for an additional moving-imaging channel comprising at least one TDI (time delay and integration) sensor with an associated analysis unit configured to derive wafer surface information, positioning and/or focusing information of the metrology targets with respect to the objective lens, during wafer positioning movements towards the metrology targets. Additional focusing-during-movement module and possibly feedbacking derived position and/or focus information to the stage may enhance the accuracy of the stopping of the stage.

On the fly target acquisition

Growing community of inventors

Haifa, Israel

Eugene Maslovsky