Hamamatsu-photonics K.k.

Hiroshi Tanabe

Hirotoshi Terada

Ikuo Arata

Shigeru Sakamoto

Masatoshi Okugawa

Masaharu Tokiwa

Yoshio Isobe

When it is detected that a solid immersion lens comes into contact with the semiconductor device, the lens is caused to vibrate by a vibration generator unit. Next, a reflected light image from the lens is input to calculate a reflected light quantity of the reflected light image, and it is judged whether a ratio of the reflected light quantity to an incident light quantity is not greater than a threshold value. When the ratio is greater than the threshold value, it is judged that optical close contact between the lens and the semiconductor device is not achieved, and the lens is again caused to vibrate. When the ratio is not greater than the threshold value, it is judged that optical close contact between the lens and the semiconductor device is achieved, and an observed image of the semiconductor device is acquired.

Observing device and method

A solid immersion lens holderincludes a holder main bodyhaving a lens holding unitthat holds a solid immersion lens, and an objective lens socketfor attaching the holder main bodyto a front end of an objective lens. The solid immersion lensis held in a state of being unfixed to be free with respect to the lens holding unit. A vibration generator unitthat causes the holder main bodyto vibrate is attached to the objective lens socket. The vibration generator unithas a vibrating motorheld by a motor holding member, and a weightstructured to be eccentric by weight is attached to an output shaftof the vibrating motor. A vibration generated in the vibration generator unitis transmitted to the solid immersion lensvia the objective lens socketand the holder main body. Thereby, achieving the solid immersion lens holder capable of improving the close contact between the solid immersion lens and an observation object.

Solid immersion lens holder

For a semiconductor device S as an inspected object, there are provided an image acquisition part, an optical systemincluding an objective lens, and a solid immersion lens (SIL)movable between an insertion position including an optical axis from the semiconductor device S to the objective lensand a standby position off the optical axis. Then observation is carried out in two control modes consisting of a first mode in which the SILis located at the standby position and in which focusing and aberration correction are carried out based on a refractive index nand a thickness tof a substrate of the semiconductor device S, and a second mode in which the SILis located at the insertion position and in which focusing and aberration correction are carried out based on the refractive index nand thickness tof the substrate, and a refractive index n, a thickness d, and a radius of curvature Rof SIL. This provides a microscope and a sample observation method capable of readily performing observation of the sample necessary for an analysis of microstructure or the like of the semiconductor device.

Microscope and sample observation method

An arrangement, equipped with a holder, which supports a solid immersion lensin the gravity direction with the bottom surface of solid immersion lensbeing protruded downward through an opening, is provided. With this arrangement, when solid immersion lensis set on an observed object, solid immersion lensis put in a state in which it is raised by the observed object and is made free with respect to holder. Also in this state, an excessive pressure will not be applied to the observed object and yet solid immersion lensis put in close contact in conformance with the observed object and temperature drifts at the holderside or the observed object side are cut off from the counterpart side and thus the influences of such temperature drifts are eliminated. A solid immersion lens holder, with which the damaging of the observed object can be eliminated and which enables high-precision observation, is thus provided.

A solid immersion lens holderA is provided with a base partattached to an objective lens, and a lens holding partprovided with the base part, extending in a direction of optical axis L of the objective lens, and arranged to hold a solid immersion lensat an end portion thereof. The lens holding part holds the solid immersion lens so that light emerging from the solid immersion lens to the base part side travels through a region outside the lens holding part and toward the base part, and the base part has a light passing portionwhich transmits the light toward the objective lens. Since the lens holding part extends in the direction of the optical axis L of the objective lens, even in a case where an observation objectis observed as located on a bottom surface of recess, the lens holding part will be prevented from contacting a side wallof the recess. As a result, it becomes feasible to observe the observation object up to a region closer to the vicinity of peripheral partof the observation object. This provides a solid immersion lens holder allowing observation up to a region closer to a peripheral part of an observation object even in a case where the observation object is set in a recess of a sample.

For a semiconductor device S as an inspected object, there are provided an image acquisition part, an optical systemincluding an objective lens, and a solid immersion lens (SIL)movable between an insertion position including an optical axis from the semiconductor device S to the objective lensand a standby position off the optical axis. Then observation is carried out in two control modes consisting of a first mode in which the SILis located at the standby position and in which focusing and aberration correction are carried out based on a refractive index no and a thickness to of a substrate of the semiconductor device S, and a second mode in which the SILis located at the insertion position and in which focusing and aberration correction are carried out based on the refractive index no and thickness tof the substrate, and a refractive index n, a thickness d, and a radius of curvature Rof SIL. This provides a microscope and a sample observation method capable of readily performing observation of the sample necessary for an analysis of microstructure or the like of the semiconductor device.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Hiroshi Tanabe