Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Kla Corporation

Johannes D De Veer

Shankar Krishnan

David Y Wang

Lawrence D Rotter

Guorong Vera Zhuang

Klaus Flock

Andrei V Shchegrov

Leonid Poslavsky

Gregory Brady

Muzammil A Arain

Catalin Filip

Amnon Manassen

Vladimir Levinski

Andrew V Hill

Ying Gao

Daniel Kandel

Gary Janik

Thaddeus Gerard Dziura

Alexander Kuznetsov

Joel L Seligson

Xuefeng Liu

Kevin A Peterlinz

Alexander Svizher

Haiming Wang

Derrick A Shaughnessy

Hidong Kwak

Jonathan M Madsen

Mark Allen Neil

G Vera Zhuang

A metrology system for characterizing a sample formed from a first wafer and a second wafer bonded at an interface with a metrology target near the interface may include a metrology tool and a controller. The metrology tool may include one or more illumination sources and an illumination sub-system to direct illumination from the one or more illumination sources to the metrology target, a detector, and a collection sub-system to collect light from the sample. The light collected from the sample may include light from the metrology target and light from a top surface of the first wafer, and the collection sub-system is may direct the light from the metrology target to the detector. The controller may execute program instructions causing the one or more processors to generate estimates of one or more parameters associated with the sample based on data received from the detector.

Overlay metrology on bonded wafers

A spectrometer for tailored spectral sampling includes a dispersive element for spatially dispersing a spectrum of a light beam, a detector including a plurality of pixels distributed along a sampling direction, and a spectrum reshaping element including at least one of a reflective surface or a transmissive surface for reshaping the spatially-dispersed spectrum of the light beam from the dispersive element along the sampling direction to provide a selected distribution of the spectrum to the detector. The detector may spatially sample the spectrum of incident light with the plurality of pixels at selected spectral intervals based on the selected distribution of the spectrum.

Spectroscopy with tailored spectral sampling

The present invention may include an illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample, a detector configured to detect at least a portion of light reflected from the surface of the sample, a selectably configurable optical system comprising: a rotatable polarizing element disposed in the illumination arm of the optical system, an analyzing element disposed in the collection arm of the optical system, and a rotatable-translatable compensator element disposed in the collection arm of the optical system, and a control system communicatively configured to selectably configure the optical system in the a rotating compensator (RCSE) mode, a rotating polarizer (RPSE) mode, or a rotating polarizer and compensator (RPRC) mode.

Selectably configurable multiple mode spectroscopic ellipsometry

An apparatus includes (i) a bright light source for providing an illumination beam at multiple wavelengths selectable with a range from a deep ultraviolet wavelength to an infrared wavelength, (ii) illumination optics for directing the illumination beam towards a sample at selectable sets of angles of incidence (AOI's) or azimuth angles (AZ's) and polarization states to provide spectroscopic ellipsometry, wherein the illumination optics include an apodizer for controlling a spot size of the illumination beam on the sample at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets, (iii) collection optics for directing an output beam from the sample in response to the illumination beam at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets and polarization states towards a detector that generates an output signal or image based on the output beam, and (v) a controller for characterizing a feature of the sample based on the output signal or image.

Multiple angles of incidence semiconductor metrology systems and methods

The present invention may include an illumination source, a detector, a selectably adjustable optical system including a dynamically adjustable illumination pupil of the illumination arm, a dynamically adjustable collection pupil of the collection arm, a dynamically adjustable illumination field stop of the illumination arm, a dynamically adjustable collection field stop of the collection arm, a sensor configured to measure one or more optical characteristics of one or more components of the optical system, and a control system configured to selectably dynamically adjust at least one of the illumination pupil, the collection pupil, the illumination field stop, the collection field stop, and a spectral radiance of the illumination source.

Dynamically adjustable semiconductor metrology system

The present invention may include loading a diagnostic sample onto a sample stage, focusing light from an illumination source disposed on a multi-axis stage onto the diagnostic sample, collecting a portion of light reflected from a surface of the diagnostic sample utilizing a detector, wherein the illumination source and the detector are optically direct-coupled via an optical system, acquiring a set of diagnostic parameters indicative of illumination source position drift from the diagnostic sample, determining a magnitude of the illumination source position drift by comparing the acquired set of diagnostic parameters to an initial set of parameters obtained from the diagnostic sample at a previously measured alignment condition, determining a direction of the illumination source position drift; and providing illumination source position adjustment parameters configured to correct the determined magnitude and direction of the illumination source position drift to the multi-axis actuation control system of the multi-axis stage.

Light source tracking in optical metrology system

Systems and methods for discrete polarization scatterometry are provided.

Discrete polarization scatterometry

Various metrology systems and methods for high aspect ratio and large lateral dimension structures are provided. One method includes directing light to one or more structures formed on a wafer. The light includes ultraviolet light, visible light, and infrared light. The one or more structures include at least one high aspect ratio structure or at least one large lateral dimension structure. The method also includes generating output responsive to light from the one or more structures due to the light directed to the one or more structures. In addition, the method includes determining one or more characteristics of the one or more structures using the output.

Metrology systems and methods for high aspect ratio and large lateral dimension structures

An apparatus to calibrate a polarizer in a polarized optical system at any angle of incidence. The apparatus decouples the polarization effect of the system from the polarization effect of the sample. The apparatus includes a substrate with a polarizer disposed on the surface. An indicator on the substrate indicates the polarization orientation of the polarizer, which is in a predetermined orientation with respect to the substrate.

Optical system polarizer calibration

A method to calibrate a polarizer in polarized optical system at any angle of incidence, by decoupling the calibration from a polarization effect of the system, by providing a calibration apparatus that includes a substrate having a polarizer disposed on a surface thereof, with an indicator on the substrate for indicating a polarization orientation of the polarizer, loading the calibration apparatus in the polarized optical system with the indicator in a desired position, determining an initial angle between the polarization orientation and a reference of the polarized optical system, acquiring spectra using the polarized optical system at a plurality of known angles between the polarization orientation and the reference of the polarized optical system, using the spectra to plot a curve indicating an angle of the polarizer in the polarized optical system, and when the angle of the polarizer is outside of a desired range, adjusting the angle of the polarizer, and repeating the steps of acquiring the spectra, and plotting a curve indicating the angle of the polarizer.

An apparatus capable of measuring topography and transparent film thickness of a patterned metal-dielectric layer on a substrate without contact with the layer. A broadband interferometer measures an absolute phase of reflection at a plurality of wavelengths from a plurality of locations within a field of view on the metal-dielectric patterned layer on the substrate, and produces reflection phase data. An analyzer receives the reflection phase data and regresses the transparent film thickness and the topography at each of the plurality of locations from the reflection phase data. In this manner, the apparatus is not confused by the phase changes produced in the reflected light by the transparent layers, because the thickness of the transparent layers are determined by using the reflection phase data from multiple wavelengths. Further, the surface topography of the layer, whether it be opaque or transparent is also determinable. Thus, the present invention provides a means by which both transparent layer thickness and topography can be determined on an array surface of transparent and opaque layers, without contacting the surface of the layers.

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Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Johannes D De Veer