Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Renesas Technology Corp.

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Hitachi High-tech Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.

Hitachi High-thecnologies Corporation

Maki Tanaka

Chie Shishido

Takashi Hiroi

Masahiro Watanabe

Hiroyuki Shinada

Mari Nozoe

Aritoshi Sugimoto

Asahiro Kuni

Yuji Takagi

Yasutsugu Usami

Hiroshi Miyai

Kenji Watanabe

Shunji Maeda

Hidetoshi Morokuma

Takanori Ninomiya

Minori Noguchi

Haruo Yoda

Atsushi Miyamoto

Atsuko Takafuji

Yasuhiko Nara

Akira Hamamatsu

Hidetoshi Nishiyama

Yoshimasa Ohshima

Kenji Oka

Tetsuya Watanabe

Yoshio Morishige

Yukio Matsuyama

Yutaka Kaneko

Yusuke Yajima

Hitoshi Kubota

Katsuhiro Kuroda

Katsuya Sugiyama

Kimiaki Ando

Kazushi Yoshimura

Hiroshi Tooyama

Tadao Ino

Taku Ninomiya

Ryo Nakagaki

Wataru Nagatomo

Kenji Nakahira

Hideaki Doi

Hiroshi Morioka

Hiroyuki Shinoda

Hiroki Kawada

Osamu Komuro

Takafumi Okabe

Fumihiro Sasajima

Mayuka Oosaki

Mitsunobu Isobe

Mayuka Osaki

Mayuka Iwasaki

Keiichi Saiki

Mitsutoshi Kobayashi

Norio Hasegawa

Toshihiko Nakata

Makoto Suzuki

Yasutaka Toyoda

Yasuhiro Yoshitake

Shunichi Matsumoto

Takashi Doi

Satoru Yamaguchi

Takuma Yamamoto

Mitsuji Ikeda

Yusuke Ominami

Takashi Iizumi

Noriaki Arai

Katsuhiro Sasada

Shinsuke Kawanishi

Yoshinori Momonoi

Junzou Azuma

Yoshinobu Hoshino

Shinya Yamada

Miki Isawa

Takeshi Nagashima

Manabu Yano

Hanae Yoshida

Katsumi Setoguchi

Yuya Toyoshima

Yuzuru Mochizuki

Hitoshi Namai

Yuki Ojima

Munenori Fukunishi

Yuuji Takagi

Chle Shishido

Even if a generated wide-field image includes residual local misalignment, this charged particle microscope device can prompt for user input to correct such local misalignment, and can regenerate, on the basis of the user input, a wide-field image that includes little misalignment even in local areas of the overlap regions thereof. A charged particle microscope according to the present invention captures a plurality of images in such a way that each captured image has overlap regions that are to be overlapped with the overlap regions of captured images adjacent to that captured image, wherein an image processing unit: sets a pair of corresponding points in respective overlap regions of each two adjacent captured images; sets predetermined constraint conditions for each captured image; calculates the amounts of misalignment between the plurality of captured images on the basis of the set pairs of corresponding points and the set constraint conditions; connects the plurality of captured images to one another after correcting the misalignment between these captured images on the basis of the calculated amounts of misalignment, thereby generating a single wide-field image; calculates, for each of a plurality of local areas set in the overlap regions of each two adjacent captured images, a degree of reliability for the connection between these captured images; and notifies a user of either each found low reliability local area or the overlap region including that low reliability local area, as well as the set pairs of corresponding points and the set constraint conditions.

Charged particle microscope device and wide-field image generation method

An image processing device and an image processing method that performs image interpretation as fast as possible, without oversight by an interactive operation, when performing the image interpretation of a large amount of volume data in which an interest region is set in advance are provided. The image processing device that generates a two-dimensional image from a captured three-dimensional image and displays the generated two-dimensional image receives an input signal relating to primary display control information including a speed of a display control input of the two-dimensional image, calculates the primary display control information from the input signal, calculates secondary display control information including a display speed of the two-dimensional image based on information of an interest region and the primary display control information, and sequentially generates the two-dimensional images based on the secondary display control information and displays the generated two-dimensional image.

Image processing device, image processing method and image processing system

A scanning electron microscope capable of properly determining a step of a step pattern formed on a sample regardless of combination of material of a groove of the step pattern and material of a projection of the step pattern, the scanning electron microscope includes a beam source, a detection unit having a first detection unit that detects a secondary electron emitted from the sample at an angle between an optical axis direction of the primary electron beam which is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and a second detection unit that detects a secondary electron emitted from the sample at an angle between the optical axis direction of the primary electron beam which is greater than the predetermined value, and a processing unit to obtain information on the step pattern using the information on a ratio between signals outputted from the first and the second detection unit.

Scanning electron microscope

A scanning charged particle microscope apparatus includes image quality improvement unit which performs an image quality improvement process on image data which is obtained by detecting particles generated from a sample, the image quality improvement unit divides a region in which the image data is acquired into two or more regions on the basis of a distance from a region in which the image data within a visual field of a charged particle optical unit is not acquired, determines an image quality improvement processing method and a processing parameter for image quality improvement for the image data in each of the separate regions according to the separate regions; and performs an image quality improvement process on the image data in each of the separate regions by using the determined processing method and processing parameter corresponding to the separate region.

Method of improving quality of scanning charged particle microscope image, and scanning charged particle microscope apparatus

In order to allow detecting backscattered electrons (BSEs) generated from the bottom of a hole for determining whether a hole with a super high aspect ratio is opened or for inspecting and measuring the ratio of the top diameter to the bottom diameter of a hole, which are typified in 3D-NAND processes of opening a hole, a primary electron beam accelerated at a high accelerating voltage is applied to a sample. Backscattered electrons (BSEs) at a low angle (e.g. a zenith angle of five degrees or more) are detected. Thus, the bottom of a hole is observed using 'penetrating BSEs' having been emitted from the bottom of the hole and penetrated the side wall. Using the characteristics in which a penetrating distance is relatively prolonged through a deep hole and the amount of penetrating BSEs is decreased to cause a dark image, a calibration curve expressing the relationship between a hole depth and the brightness is given to measure the hole depth.

Scanning electron microscope system, pattern measurement method using same, and scanning electron microscope

In order to enable high-speed imaging of a wide-field image, the imaging method using the electron microscope comprises: irradiating and scanning a wide-field region of the sample with a low-dose amount of electron beam, and acquiring a wide-field image of the sample; setting, from this wide-field image, a narrow-field region; irradiating and scanning this narrow-field region with a high-dose amount of the electron beam, and acquiring a narrow-field image of the sample; determining the noise-removal parameters for the acquired wide-field image and narrow-field image; performing image quality improvement processing on the wide-field image and the narrow-field image; performing drift correction on the narrow-field image undergone the image quality improvement processing; and combining the narrow-field image undergone this drift correction and the wide-field image in such a manner that the visibility of each is at the same level throughout the entirety of the combined image.

Electron microscope device and imaging method using same

A charged-particle-beam device is provided with a data processing unit that removes, from a detector signal, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam before the primary charged-particle beam reaches a specimen has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam. For example, when using an electron microscope to observe a specimen in a non-vacuum atmosphere, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam due to a barrier film or a gas present in a non-vacuum space has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam is removed from a signal acquired by a detector. This makes it easy to obtain high-quality images.

Charged-particle-beam device, specimen-image acquisition method, and program recording medium

Beforehand, the device characteristic patterns of each critical dimension SEM are measured, a sectional shape of an object to undergo dimension measurement is presumed by a model base library (MBL) matching system, dimension measurements are carried out by generating signal waveforms through SEM simulation by inputting the presumed sectional shapes and the device characteristic parameters, and differences in the dimension measurement results are registered as machine differences. In actual measurements, from the dimension measurement results in each critical dimension SEM, machine differences are corrected by subtracting the registered machine differences. Furthermore, changes in critical dimension SEM's over time are monitored by periodically measuring the above-mentioned device characteristic parameters and predicting the above-mentioned dimension measurement results. According to the present invention, actual measurements of machine differences, which require considerable time and effort, are unnecessary. In addition, the influence of changes in samples over time, which is problematic in monitoring changes in devices over time, can be eliminated.

Pattern dimension measurement method using electron microscope, pattern dimension measurement system, and method for monitoring changes in electron microscope equipment over time

A model based measurement method is capable of estimating a cross-sectional shape by matching various pre-created cross-sectional shapes with a library of SEM signal waveforms. The present invention provides a function for determining whether or not it is appropriate to create a model of a cross-sectional shape or a function for verifying the accuracy of estimation results to a conventional model based measurement method, wherein a solution space (expected solution space) is obtained by matching library waveforms and is displayed before measuring the real pattern by means of model based measurement. Moreover, after the real pattern is measured by means of model based measurement, the solution space (real solution space) is obtained by matching the real waveforms with the library waveforms and is displayed.

Shape measurement method, and system therefor

A charged particle microscope apparatus includes a radiation optical system that radiates a focused charged particle beam to an upper side of a sample provided with a pattern and scans the sample; a detection optical system that detects charged particles generated from the sample to which the charged particle beam has been radiated by the radiation optical system; and a processing unit that processes the charged particles detected by the detection optical system to obtain a charged particle image of the sample, estimates diffusion of the charged particles at any depth of the pattern of the sample, on the basis of information on a depth or a material of the pattern of the sample or radiation energy of the charged particle beam in the radiation optical system; corrects the obtained charged particle image using the estimated diffusion of the charged particles; and processes the corrected charged particle image.

Charged particle microscope apparatus and image acquisition method of charged particle microscope apparatus utilizing image correction based on estimated diffusion of charged particles

Provided are a pattern measuring apparatus and a computer program which determine whether a gap formed in a sample () is a core gap () or a spacer gap (). The secondary electron profile of the sample () is acquired, the feature quantities of the secondary electron profile at the positions of edges () are detected, and based on the detected feature quantities, whether each gap adjacent to each of the edges () is the core gap () or the spacer gap () is determined. Furthermore, the waveform profile of the spacer () is previously stored, the secondary electron profile of the sample () is acquired, a matching degree of the secondary electron profile and the stored waveform profile at the position of each spacer () is detected, and based on the detected matching degree, whether the each gap adjacent to each spacer () is the core gap () or the spacer gap () is determined.

Pattern measuring apparatus and computer program

The present invention aims at proposing a library creation method and a pattern shape estimation method in which it is possible, when estimating a shape based on comparison between an actual waveform and a library, to appropriately estimate the shape. As an illustrative embodiment to achieve the object, there are proposed a method of selecting a pattern by referring to a library, a method of creating a library by use of pattern cross-sectional shapes calculated through an exposure process simulation in advance, and a method for selecting a pattern shape stored in the library.

Estimating shape based on comparison between actual waveform and library in lithography process

A method and apparatus of inspecting a sample, in which the sample is inspected under a plurality of inspection conditions, and inspection data obtained by inspecting the sample under each of the plurality of inspection conditions and position information on the sample of the inspection date in correspondence with the respective inspection conditions, are stored. The inspection data for each of the plurality of inspection conditions is against each other by the use of the position information on the sample to determine a position to be inspected in detail, and an image of the sample at a position to be inspected in detail is obtained. The obtained image is classified, the inspection condition of the sample by the use of information of classification of the image is determined.

Method of inspecting a semiconductor device and an apparatus thereof

The invention provides a system for achieving detection and measurement of film thickness reduction of a resist pattern with high throughput which can be applied to part of in-line process management. By taking into consideration the fact that film thickness reduction of the resist pattern leads to some surface roughness of the upper surface of the resist, a film thickness reduction index value is calculated by quantifying the degree of roughness of the part corresponding to the upper surface of the resist on an electron microscope image of the resist pattern which has been used in the conventional line width measurement. The amount of film thickness reduction of the resist pattern is estimated by applying the calculated index value to a database previously made for relating a film thickness reduction index value to an amount of film thickness reduction of the resist pattern.

Electron microscope system and method for evaluating film thickness reduction of resist patterns

The present invention is for providing a scanning electron microscope system adapted to output contour information fitting in with the real pattern edge end of a sample, and is arranged to generate a local projection waveform by projecting the scanning electron microscope image in the tangential direction with respect to the pattern edge at each point of the pattern edge of the scanning electron microscope image, estimate the cross-sectional shape of the pattern transferred on the sample by applying the local projection waveform generated at each point to a library, which has previously been created, correlating the cross-sectional shape with the electron beam signal waveform, obtain position coordinate of the edge end fitting in with the cross-sectional shape, and output the contour of the pattern as a range of position coordinates.

Scanning electron microscope system and method for measuring dimensions of patterns formed on semiconductor device by using the system

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Yokohama, Japan

Maki Tanaka