Kla Tencor Corporation

Hoyoung Heo

William Pierson

Onur Demirer

Jeremy Nabeth

Amnon Manassen

Michael E Adel

Ady Levy

Mark Davis Smith

Liran Yerushalmi

John Charles Robinson

Pradeep Subrahmanyan

DongSub Choi

Dongsub Choi

Dror Alumot

Ramkumar Karur-Shanmugam

Christian Sparka

Stuart Sherwin

Fatima Anis

Miguel Garcia-Medina

Choon (George) Hoong Hoo

Sanghuck Jeon

Soujanya Vuppala

John Robinson

Michael A Adel

Methods and systems for providing overlay corrections are provided. A method may include: selecting an overlay model configured to perform overlay modeling for a wafer; obtaining a first set of modeled results from the overlay model, the first set of modeled results indicating adjustments applicable to a plurality of term coefficients of the overlay model; calculating a significance matrix indicating the significance of the plurality of term coefficients; identifying at least one less significant term coefficient among the plurality of term coefficients based on the calculated significance matrix; obtaining a second set of modeled results from the overlay model, the second set of modeled results indicating adjustments applicable to the plurality of term coefficients except for the identified at least one less significant term coefficient; and providing the second set of modeled results to facilitate overlay correction.

Overlay variance stabilization methods and systems

A process control system may include a controller configured to receive after-development inspection (ADI) data after a lithography step for the current layer from an ADI tool, receive after etch inspection (AEI) overlay data after an exposure step of the current layer from an AEI tool, train a non-zero offset predictor with ADI data and AEI overlay data to predict a non-zero offset from input ADI data, generate values of the control parameters of the lithography tool using ADI data and non-zero offsets generated by the non-zero offset predictor, and provide the values of the control parameters to the lithography tool for fabricating the current layer on the at least one production sample.

Overlay control with non-zero offset prediction

A semiconductor tool includes an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, one or more illumination optical elements to direct a portion of the illumination beam to a sample, a detector, one or more collection optical elements to direct radiation emanating from the sample to the detector, and a controller communicatively coupled to the detector. The controller is configured to measure alignment at a plurality of locations across the sample to generate alignment data, select an analysis area for alignment zone determination, divide the analysis area into two or more alignment zones having different alignment signatures; model the alignment data of at least a first alignment zone of the two or more alignment zones using a first alignment model, and model the alignment data of at least a second alignment zone of the two or more alignment zones using a second alignment model different than the first alignment model.

Systems and methods for automated multi-zone detection and modeling

Growing community of inventors

Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Hoyoung Heo