Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Kla Corporation

Gordon Rouse

Brian Duffy

Ashok V Kulkarni

Kais Maayah

Abdurrahman Sezginer

Martin Plihal

Kenong Wu

Eugene Shifrin

Santosh Bhattacharyya

Erfan Soltanmohammadi

Chris Maher

Ankit Jain

Thirupurasundari Jayaraman

Srikanth Kandukuri

Aravindh Balaji

Manikandan Mariyappan

Srivathsan Krishnamohan

Anil Raman

Praveen Gunasekaran

Methods and systems for determining information for an area having unknown patterns and unknown pattern repeatability are provided. One or more computer systems of the system are configured for detecting first and second polygons in first and second rows, respectively, in a design for a specimen. The first and second rows have first dimensions perpendicular to an edge of a known area in the design from inner boundaries of the rows to outer boundaries of the rows. The computer system(s) are also configured for determining first and second repeating pitches of the first and second polygons, respectively. When the first and second repeating pitches are different from each other, the computer system(s) are configured for determining an outer boundary of the area having the unknown patterns and the unknown pattern repeatability as the outer boundary of the first row.

Automatic method to find extent of repeating geometry in an integrated circuit layout

Context attributes for optical imaging of a patterned layer of a semiconductor die are calculated. Calculating the context attributes includes calculating convolutions of a pattern of the patterned layer with respective kernels of a plurality of kernels, wherein the plurality of kernels is orthogonal. Defects on the semiconductor die are found in accordance with the context attributes.

Finding semiconductor defects using convolutional context attributes

Methods and systems for setting up inspection of a specimen with design and noise based care areas are provided. One system includes one or more computer subsystems configured for generating a design-based care area for a specimen. The computer subsystem(s) are also configured for determining one or more output attributes for multiple instances of the care area on the specimen, and the one or more output attributes are determined from output generated by an output acquisition subsystem for the multiple instances. The computer subsystem(s) are further configured for separating the multiple instances of the care area on the specimen into different care area sub-groups such that the different care area sub-groups have statistically different values of the output attribute(s) and selecting a parameter of an inspection recipe for the specimen based on the different care area sub-groups.

And noise based care areas

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for inspecting a wafer using a film thickness map generated for the wafer. In use, a plurality of locations on a wafer are determined from a design of the wafer. Additionally, a measured brightness at each of the determined locations on the wafer is obtained. Further, a film thickness map for the wafer is generated from the obtained measurements. The wafer is then inspected using the film thickness map.

System, method and computer program product for inspecting a wafer using a film thickness map generated for the wafer

Systems and methods are disclosed for storing dynamic layer content in a design file. A design file is received having design data corresponding to a plurality of process layers. A geometric operation formula is also received. A processor generates a polygon having dynamic layer content that is formed by applying the geometric operation formula on two or more of the plurality of process layers. The updated design file is stored, the design file now having a polygon having dynamic layer content.

Methods to store dynamic layer content inside a design file

Various methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data are provided. One computer-implemented method for binning defects detected on a wafer includes comparing portions of design data proximate positions of the defects in design data space. The method also includes determining if the design data in the portions is at least similar based on results of the comparing step. In addition, the method includes binning the defects in groups such that the portions of the design data proximate the positions of the defects in each of the groups are at least similar. The method further includes storing results of the binning step in a storage medium.

Methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data

Various methods and systems for determining a position of inspection data in design data space are provided. One computer-implemented method includes determining a centroid of an alignment target formed on a wafer using an image of the alignment target acquired by imaging the wafer. The method also includes aligning the centroid to a centroid of a geometrical shape describing the alignment target. In addition, the method includes assigning a design data space position of the centroid of the alignment target as a position of the centroid of the geometrical shape in the design data space. The method further includes determining a position of inspection data acquired for the wafer in the design data space based on the design data space position of the centroid of the alignment target.

Methods and systems for determining a position of inspection data in design data space

Various methods and systems for utilizing design data in combination with inspection data are provided. One computer-implemented method for determining a position of inspection data in design data space includes aligning data acquired by an inspection system for alignment sites on a wafer with data for predetermined alignment sites. The method also includes determining positions of the alignment sites on the wafer in design data space based on positions of the predetermined alignment sites in the design data space. In addition, the method includes determining a position of inspection data acquired for the wafer by the inspection system in the design data space based on the positions of the alignment sites on the wafer in the design data space. In one embodiment, the position of the inspection data is determined with sub-pixel accuracy.

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Dublin, CA, United States of America

Gordon Rouse