Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

Luca Grella

David Lewis Adler

Christopher Sears

Gian Francesco Lorusso

Xinrong Jiang

Nikolai N Chubun

Douglas K Masnaghetti

Amir Azordegan

Kevin Cummings

Mark Armstrong McCord

Yehiel Gotkis

Christopher F Bevis

Marian Mankos

Ian R Smith

Kirk Joseph Bertsche

Gabor D Toth

Chris Bevis

Allen M Carroll

Sameet K Shriyan

Laurence S Hordon

Oscar G Florendo

Frank Y H Fan

Leonid Baranov

Daniel Bui

Arjun Hegde

David Goodstein

Regina Freed

Gian F Lorusso

Paola De Cecco

Stephen Pitts

An e-beam device includes a cold-field emission source to emit electrons and an extractor electrode to be positively biased with respect to the cold-field emission source to extract the electrons from the cold-field emission source. The extractor electrode has a first opening for the electrons. The e-beam device also includes a mirror electrode with a second opening for the electrons. The mirror electrode is configurable to be positively biased with respect to the extractor electrode during a first mode of operation and to be negatively biased with respect to the extractor electrode during a second mode of operation. The extractor electrode is disposed between the cold-field emission source and the mirror electrode. The e-beam device further includes an anode to be positively biased with respect to the extractor electrode and the cold-field emission source. The mirror electrode is disposed between the extractor electrode and the anode.

Cold-field-emitter electron gun with self-cleaning extractor using reversed e-beam current

An electron-beam device includes upper-column electron optics and lower-column electron optics. The upper-column electron optics include an aperture array to divide an electron beam into a plurality of electron beamlets. The upper-column electron optics also include a lens array with a plurality of lenses to adjust the focus of the plurality of electron beamlets. Respective lenses of the plurality of lenses are to adjust the focus of respective electron beamlets of the plurality of electron beamlets. The upper-column electron optics further include a first global lens to adjust the focus of the plurality of electron beamlets in a manner opposite to the lens array.

Systems and methods of creating multiple electron beams

An electron source emits an electron beam. The electron beam is received by a beam limiting assembly. The beam limiting assembly has a first beam limiting aperture with a first diameter and a second beam limiting aperture with a second diameter larger than the first diameter. The first beam limiting aperture receives the electron beam. This beam limiting assembly reduces the influence of Coulomb interactions.

High resolution electron beam apparatus with dual-aperture schemes

Electron gun systems with a particular inner width dimension, sweep electrodes, or a combination of a particular inner width dimension and sweep electrodes are disclosed. The inner width dimension may be less than twice a value of a Larmor radius of secondary electrons in a channel downstream of a beam limiting aperture, and a Larmor time for the secondary electrons may be greater than 1 ns. The sweep electrode can generates an electric field in a drift region, which can increase kinetic energy of secondary electrons in the channel.

Space charge insensitive electron gun designs

Systems and methods to focus and align multiple electron beams are disclosed. A camera produces image data of light from electron beams that is projected at a fiber optics array with multiple targets. An image processing module determines an adjustment to a voltage applied to a relay lens, a field lens, or a multi-pole array based on the image data. The adjustment minimizes at least one of a displacement, a defocus, or an aberration of one of the electron beams. Using a control module, the voltage is applied to the relay lens, the field lens, or the multi-pole array.

Charge control device for a system with multiple electron beams

A scanning electron microscopy system is disclosed. The system includes a sample stage configured to secure a sample having conducting structures disposed on an insulating substrate. The system includes an electron-optical column including an electron source configured to generate a primary electron beam and a set of electron-optical elements configured to direct at least a portion of the primary electron beam onto a portion of the sample. The system includes a detector assembly configured to detect electrons emanating from the surface of the sample. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the detector assembly. The controller is configured to direct the electron-optical column and stage to perform, with the primary electron beam, an alternating series of image scans and flood scans of the portion of the sample, wherein each of the flood scans are performed sequential to one or more of the imaging scans.

Method and system for charge control for imaging floating metal structures on non-conducting substrates

Extractors and extractor systems minimize the generation of secondary electrons which interact with and degrade the primary electron beam. This can improve the performance of an electron beam system, such as a scanning electron microscope. The extractor may include a frustoconical aperture that widens as distance from the source of the electron beam increases. The entrance into the frustoconical aperture also can include a curved edge.

Extractor electrode for electron source

One embodiment relates to a method of controllably reflecting electrons from an array of electron reflectors. An incident electron beam is formed from an electron source, and the incident beam is directed to the array of electron reflectors. A first plurality of the reflectors is configured to reflect electrons in a first reflective mode such that the reflected electrons exiting the reflector form a focused beam. A second plurality of the reflectors is configured to reflect electrons in a second reflective mode such that the reflected electrons exiting the reflector are defocused. Another embodiment relates to an apparatus of a dynamic pattern generator for reflection electron beam lithography. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Electron reflector with multiple reflective modes

A method for creating an electron beam pattern exposure, where a pattern of shapes is generated, including at least one of lines and vias. To each shape there is assigned a set of exposure pixels and edge placement constraints. An intensity at each exposure pixel is calculated by using a simplex method, and a latent resist image location is calculated by convolving a proximity function with the pixel intensities. A shape critical dimension and a shape edge slope is statistically evaluated by applying linear regression on the locations of the calculated latent image. The electron beam pattern exposures are produced using dosages linearly optimized on a rotated pixel grid to produce the shape critical dimension and the shape edge slope.

Electron beam patterning

One embodiment relates to a dynamic pattern generator for reflection electron beam lithography which includes conductive pixel pads, an insulative border surrounding each conductive pixel pad so as to electrically isolate the conductive pixel pads from each other, and conductive elements coupled to the conductive pixel pads for controllably applying voltages to the conductive pixel pads. The conductive pixel pads are advantageously cup shaped with a bottom portion, a sidewall portion, and an open cavity. Another embodiment relates to a pattern generating apparatus which includes a well structure with sidewalls and a cavity configured above each conductive pixel pad. The sidewalls may include alternating layers of conductive and insulative materials. Other embodiments, aspects and feature are also disclosed.

Dynamic pattern generator with cup-shaped structure

Parameters of a metrology tool may be determined by measuring a dimension of a feature on a calibration standard with the tool and using the measured dimension and a known traceable value of the dimension to determine a value for the parameter. If the dimension of the feature on the standard has a known traceable value, different standards may be used to calibrate different tools.

Calibration standards and methods

The disclosure relates to a method and system of electron beam scanning for measurement, inspection or review. In accordance with one embodiment, the method includes a first scan on a region to collect first image data. The first image data is processed to determine information about a feature in the region. A scanning method is selected for imaging the feature. A second scan using the selected scanning method on the feature is then applied to collect second image data.

Method and system for e-beam scanning

One embodiment disclosed relates to a method for accurate electron beam metrology. A substrate with a target feature is loaded into a scanning electron microscope. An electron beam is scanned over the target feature, and scattered electrons are detected therefrom. A characteristic of the target feature is measured by finding optimal values for parameters of a mathematical model which accounts for substrate charging effects. Principal component analysis may be used to advantageously result in reduced requirements for processing time and/or computational speed.

Method and apparatus for accurate e-beam metrology

One embodiment disclosed relates to a method for robustly detecting a defective high aspect ratio (HAR) feature. A surface area of a semiconductor specimen with HAR features thereon is charged up, and a primary beam is impinged onto the surface area. Scattered electrons that are generated due to the impingement of the primary beam are extracted from the surface area. An energy filter is applied to remove the scattered electrons with lower energies, and the filtered electrons are detected. Image data is generated from the detected electrons, and an intensity threshold is applied to the image data.

E-beam detection of defective contacts/vias with flooding and energy filter

One embodiment disclosed relates to an apparatus for inspecting a substrate using charged particles. The apparatus includes an illumination subsystem, an objective subsystem, a projection subsystem, and a beam separator interconnecting those subsystems. Advantageously, the illumination subsystem includes a tilt deflector configured to controllably tilt the incident beam. The tilt of the incident beam caused by the tilt deflector is magnified prior to the incident beam impinging onto the substrate. This technique allows for achieving large beam tilts at the substrate without lens aberrations caused by introducing tilt at the objective lens and without complications due to using a tiltable stage. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Luca Grella