Kla Corporation

Other

Kla Tencor Corporation

Gilad Laredo

Amnon Manassen

Andrew V Hill

Daria Negri

Andrei V Shchegrov

Vladimir Levinski

Mark Ghinovker

Yoram Uziel

Yoel Feler

Yuri Paskover

Jonathan M Madsen

Avner Safrani

Yossi Simon

Yoni Shalibo

Ariel Hildesheim

Shlomo Eisenbach

Jonathan Madsen

A multi-column metrology tool may include two or more measurement columns distributed along a column direction, where the two or more measurement columns simultaneously probe two or more measurement regions on a sample including metrology targets. A measurement column may include an illumination sub-system to direct illumination to the sample, a collection sub-system including a collection lens to collect measurement signals from the sample and direct it to one or more detectors, and a column-positioning sub-system to adjust a position of the collection lens. A measurement region of a measurement column may be defined by a field of view of the collection lens and a range of the positioning system in the lateral plane. The tool may further include a sample-positioning sub-system to scan the sample along a scan path different than the column direction to position metrology targets within the measurement regions of the measurement columns for measurements.

Massive overlay metrology sampling with multiple measurement columns

A method of measuring misregistration in the manufacture of semiconductor device wafers including providing a multilayered semiconductor device wafer including at least a first layer and a second layer including at least one misregistration measurement target including a first periodic structure formed together with the first layer having a first pitch and a second periodic structure formed together with the second layer having a second pitch, imaging the first layer and the second layer at a depth of focus and using light having at least one first wavelength that causes images of both the first layer and the second layer to appear in at least one plane within the depth of focus and quantifying offset in the at least one plane between the images of the first layer and the second layer, thereby to calculate misregistration of the first layer and the second layer.

Method of measuring misregistration in the manufacture of topographic semiconductor device wafers

A system and method of measuring misregistration in the manufacture of semiconductor device wafers is disclosed. A first layer and the second layer are imaged in a first orientation with a misregistration metrology tool employing light having at least one first wavelength that causes images of both the first periodic structure and the second periodic structure to appear in at least two planes that are mutually separated by a perpendicular distance greater than 0.2 &#x3bc;m. The first layer and the second layer are imaged in a second orientation with the misregistration metrology tool employing light having the at least one first wavelength that causes images of both the first periodic structure and the second periodic structure to appear in the at least two planes. At least one parameter of the misregistration metrology tool is adjusted based on the resulting analysis.

System and method for measuring misregistration of semiconductor device wafers utilizing induced topography

A metrology system may include an imaging sub-system to image a metrology target buried in a sample, where the sample is formed from bonded first and second substrates with a metrology target at the interface. The metrology system may further include an illumination sub-system with an illumination field stop and an illumination pupil, where the illumination field stop includes an aperture to provide that a projected size of the field-stop aperture on a measurement plane corresponding to the metrology target matches a field of view of the detector at the measurement plane, and where the illumination pupil includes a central obscuration to provide oblique illumination of the metrology target with angles greater than a cutoff angle selected to prevent illumination from the illumination source from reflecting off of the bottom surface of the sample and through the field of view of the detector at the measurement plane.

Imaging system for buried metrology targets

An overlay metrology tool may include an illumination source, illumination optics to illuminate an overlay target having periodic features with one or more illumination beams, collection optics to direct diffracted light from the periodic features of the overlay target to a detector, an adjustable pupil mask located at a pupil plane, and a controller. The adjustable pupil mask may include one or more individually-addressable control zones distributed across the one or more portions of the pupil plane to provide an adjustable pupil transmissivity distribution. The controller may direct the adjustable pupil mask to provide a selected pupil transmissivity distribution corresponding to a selected overlay metrology recipe, where the selected pupil transmissivity distribution corresponds to a selected configuration of the one or more control zones providing transmission of a selected set of diffraction orders from the target to the detector.

Measurement modes for overlay

An adaptive focusing system including an optics module, an optics module height positioner (OMHP), a position sensor operative to generate a position output indicating a height of the optics module, a predictive height estimator operative to generate an estimated height value of a sample at each site of a plurality of sites, and generate a desired optics module height output for each of the sites, a regulator operative to generate, at least partially based on the desired optics module height output and a known height of the optics module, a sequence of optics module height control instructions for the plurality of sites, a driver operative to provide a sequence of control outputs to the OMHP and a model predictive controller (MPC) operative to monitor differences between a reported height of the optics module and an MPC-expected height of the optics module, thereby to generate system amelioration values.

Adaptive focusing system for a scanning metrology tool

Metrology methods and tools are provided, which enhance the accuracy of the measurements and enable simplification of the measurement process as well as improving the correspondence between the metrology targets and the semiconductor devices. Methods comprise illuminating the target in a Littrow configuration to yield a first measurement signal comprising a &#x2212;1diffraction order and a 0diffraction order and a second measurement signal comprising a +1distraction order and a 0diffraction order, wherein the &#x2212;1diffraction order of the first measurement signal and the +1diffraction order of the second measurement signal are diffracted at 180&#xb0; to a direction of the illumination, performing a first measurement of the first measurement signal and a second measurement of the second measurement signal, and deriving metrology metric(s) therefrom. Optionally, a reflected 0diffraction order may be split to yield components which interact with the &#x2212;1and +1diffraction orders.

Off-axis illumination overlay measurement using two-diffracted orders imaging

A metrology system may include a controller coupled to a scanning metrology tool that images a sample in motion along a scan direction. The controller may receive an image of a metrology target on the sample from the scanning metrology tool, where the metrology target comprises a first measurement group including cells distributed along a transverse direction orthogonal to the scan direction, and a second measurement group separated from the first measurement group along the scan direction including cells distributed along the transverse direction. The controller may further generate at least a first metrology measurement based on at least one of the cells in the first measurement group, and generate at least a second metrology measurement based on at least one of the cells in the second measurement group.

Growing community of inventors

Haifa, Israel

Gilad Laredo