Vistec Semiconductor Systems Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Semiconductor Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Jena Gmbh

Kla-tencor Mie Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Wetzlar Gmbh

Lambert Danner

Franz Cemic

Michael Veith

Uwe Graf

Gerhard Hoppen

Alexander Buettner

Martin Osterfeld

Wolfgang Vollrath

Robert Mainberger

Hakon Mikkelsen

Horst Engel

Michael Heiden

Klaus Rinn

Joachim Wienecke

Albert Kreh

Henning Backhauss

Matthias Slodowski

Roland Hedrich

Kuno Backhaus

Wolfgang Sulik

Dirk Sönksen

Kurt Hahn

Christof Krampe-Zadler

Frank Eisenkr&auml;mer

Christof Stey

Alexander Büttner

Volker Knorz

Hermann Bittner

A method for focusing an object plane () through an objective () and an optical assembly (), with which the method can be carried out, are disclosed. A geometric reference structure () is positioned in a plane () conjugate to a field plane () of the objective () and is imaged onto the object plane (). The geometric reference structure () is illuminated with a light beam (), which encloses a non-zero angle (&#x3c6;) with a normal direction () of the conjugate plane (). Therefore a position (Y) of an image () of the geometric reference structure () in the object plane () depends on the signed distance () between the object plane () and the field plane (), and correspondingly is evaluated for the determination of the focus position. The optical assembly () preferentially may be a metrology tool () for measuring structures () on masks (), wherein the objective () is the measurement objective of the metrology tool ().

Method for focusing an object plane and optical assembly

An apparatus () for the optical inspection of wafers is disclosed, which comprises an assembly unit () which carries optical elements () of at least one illumination path () for a bright field illumination and optical elements () of at least one illumination path () for a dark field illumination. The assembly unit () furthermore carries plural optical elements () of at least one detection path (). An imaging optical element () of the at least one illumination path () for the bright field illumination (), imaging optical elements () of the at least one illumination path for the dark field illumination, and imaging optical elements () of the at least one detection path () are designed in such a way that all illumination paths () and all detection paths () are telecentric.

Apparatus for the optical inspection of wafers

Previously used examination devices and methods mostly operate with reflected visible or UV light to analyze microstructured samples of a wafer (), for example. The aim of the invention is to increase the possible uses of said devices, i.e. particularly in order to represent structural details, e.g. of wafers that are structured on both sides, which are not visible in VIS or UV because coatings or intermediate materials are not transparent. Said aim is achieved by using IR light as reflected light while creating transillumination () which significantly improves contrast in the IR image, among other things, thus allowing the sample to be simultaneously represented in reflected or transmitted IR light and in reflected visible light.

Apparatus and method for inspecting micro-structured devices on a semiconductor substrate

The present invention relates to an apparatus for illuminating and inspecting a specular surface, comprising a light source, a collector optics for collecting the light from the light source, a homogenizing optics for transmitting the light from the collector optics having a first micro-lens array downstream of the collector optics, and a second micro-lens array downstream of the first micro-lens array, a Fourier optics for transmitting the light from the homogenizing optics onto the specular surface, an objective optics, and a detector for receiving an image, wherein the collector optics and the first micro-lens array project the light source onto the second micro-lens array and wherein the second micro-lens array and the Fourier optics project the first micro-lens array onto the specular surface, and wherein the objective optics projects the specular surface onto the detector.

Apparatus for illuminating and inspecting a surface

A measuring instrument for optical inspection of an object includes a light source for illuminating an object; a detector; an illuminating beam path extending from the light source to the object; a detection beam path extending from the object to the detector; an illuminating optics disposed in the illuminating beam path and/or an imaging optics disposed in the detection beam path for imaging the object onto the detector; a position evaluation device for determining a distance between two points of the object; and an optical device for imposing a profile of a continuously monotonic function on an intensity of light from the light source. The optical device is disposed in at least one of a pupil plane of the imaging optics, a pupil plane of the illuminating optics, and a plane in the illuminating or imaging beam path conjugate with the pupil plane of the imaging optics or the pupil plane of the illuminating optics.

Measuring instrument and method for operating a measuring instrument for optical inspection of an object

A device and method for inspecting an object () uses a bright field illumination beam path () of a bright field light source (), said beam path being formed so that it passes through the projection optics (), and a dark field illumination beam path () of a dark field light source (), this beam path being formed so that it also passes through the projection optics (). The object () can be projected by the projection optics () onto the least one detector (), and the object () is simultaneously illuminated by both light sources (). In order to simultaneously detect bright field images and dark field images without involving complicated filtering operations, the light used for the dark field illumination is pulsed and the pulse intensity of the light used for the dark field illumination is greater by at least one order of magnitude than the intensity of the continuous light, which is used for the bright field illumination, during a pulsed interval.

Device and method for inspecting an object

An illuminating device, as for a microscope, includes a light source and a reflecting filter system. The beam of light of the light source undergoes a plurality of reflections in the reflecting filter system. The entering beam of the reflecting filter system has an optical beam offset and/or a change in direction relative to the exiting beam.

Illuminating device

A coordinate measuring instrument includes a horizontally X-Y displaceable measurement stage for receiving a substrate with a feature that is to be measured, an illumination system, and a detector device. The illumination system includes a light source, an optical fiber bundle, a coupling-in optical system before the optical fiber bundle, a coupling-out optical system after the optical fiber bundle, an illuminating optical system for illuminating an image field, and a homogenizing optical system which is arranged between said coupling-out optical system and said illuminating optical system. The homogenizing optical system homogenizes the non-uniform intensity distribution in the image field of the light emerging from the optical fiber bundle. The light of said light source is picked off via said coupling-in optical system with a large numerical entrance aperture, and is coupled into said optical fiber bundle. The detector device determines the values of X and Y coordinates of the feature within the X-Y displaceable measurement stage.

Illumination device, and coordinate measuring instrument having an illumination device

An illumination device according to the present invention comprises a light source (), an optical fiber bundle (), a coupling-in optical system () before and a coupling-out optical system () after the fiber bundle (), and an illuminating optical system (). A homogenizing optical system () between the coupling-out optical system () and illuminating optical system () brings about a homogenization of the intensity distribution in the image field. The homogenizing optical system () advantageously comprises a micro-honeycomb condenser () and a lens member () which superimpose the exit opening of the fiber bundle () in an intermediate image plane () to form a homogeneous intermediate image. The coordinate measuring instrument comprises an X-Y measurement stage () for receiving a substrate with a feature () that is to be measured, an illumination system with a light source (), an optical fiber bundle (), a coupling-in optical system (), a coupling-out optical system (), an illuminating optical system () for illuminating an image field on the substrate, and a detector device () for determining the position of the feature. A homogenizing optical system () between the coupling-out optical system () and illuminating optical system () brings about a homogenization of the intensity distribution in the image field.

Illumination device; and coordinate measuring instrument having an illumination device

A critical dimension measuring instrument includes a light source, a beam-shaping optical system, a condenser having a condenser pupil, a first microlens array arrangement, a first auxiliary optical element having positive refractive power, a second auxiliary optical element having positive refractive power, and a second microlens array arrangement. The first microlens array arrangement, the first auxiliary optical element, the second auxiliary optical element and the second microlens array arrangement are arranged in successive fashion between the beam-shaping optical system and the condenser.

Critical dimension measuring instrument

An autofocus module for a microscope-based system includes at least two light sources, each of which generates a light beam for focusing. An optical directing device is provided that directs a respective portion of each light beam onto an incoupling means, which couples each of the light beams into the illuminating light beam of the microscope-based system and directs the light beams onto a specimen. A first and a second detector receive the light beams of the first and second light source reflected from the surface of the specimen, and ascertain the intensities on the first and second detector in time-multiplexed fashion.

Autofocus module and method for a microscope-based system

An illumination device for a DUV microscope has an illumination beam path, proceeding from a DUV light source in which are arranged a condenser and a reflection filter system which generates a DUV wavelength band and comprises four reflection filters. At these, the illumination beam is reflected in each case at the same reflection angle &agr;, the illumination beam path extending coaxially in front of and behind the reflection filter system. According to the present invention, the reflection angle &agr;&equals;30&deg; and the DUV wavelength band &lgr; &plus;&Dgr;&lgr; has a half-value width of max. 20 nm and a peak with a maximum value S of more than 90% of the incoming light intensity. The resulting very narrow half-value width of the DUV wavelength band makes it possible for the DUV objectives of the DUV microscope to be very well-corrected.

Illumination device for a DUV microscope and DUV microscope

The invention refers to an optical measurement arrangement, in particular for layer thickness measurement and for ascertaining optical material properties such as refractive index, extinction factor, etc. of a specimen (P), having an illumination device ( ) for emitting a measurement light beam ( ), a beam splitter ( ) for dividing the measurement light beam ( ) into a specimen light beam ( ) and a reference light beam ( ), a measurement objective for directing the specimen light beam ( ) onto a measurement location (M) on the surface of the specimen (P) and for acquiring the light reflected from the measurement location (M), and an analysis device ( ) into which the reference light beam ( ) and the specimen light beam ( ) reflected from the specimen (P) are coupled in order to obtain information about the specimen (P), in particular about layer thicknesses present thereon. Light-guiding devices ( ) having a plurality of light-guiding fibers are provided for coupling the specimen light beam ( ) and the reference light beam ( ) into the analysis device ( ). The result is to create a compact optical measurement arrangement that can be flexibly set up and is insensitive to disturbance, which is suitable in particular for automatic monitoring of continuous production processes, in particular in semiconductor chip manufacture.

Optical measurement arrangement, in particular for layer thickness measurement

The invention concerns an optical measurement arrangement having an ellipsometer, in which an incident beam ( ) of polarized light is directed at an angle of incidence &agr;&ne;0&deg; onto a measurement location (M) on the surface of a specimen (P). Information concerning properties of the specimen (P), preferably concerning layer thicknesses and optical material properties such as refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, and the like, is obtained from an analysis of a return beam ( ) reflected from the specimen (P). The incident beam ( ) is directed by a mirror objective ( ) onto the surface of the specimen (P). The return beam ( ) is also captured by the mirror objective ( ). The result is to create an optical measurement arrangement, operating on the ellipsometric principle, which has a simple, compact configuration and permits a high measurement accuracy down to the sub-nanometer range.

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Wetzlar-Naunheim, Germany

Lambert Danner