Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Mark Allen Neil

Gian Francesco Lorusso

Mehran Nasser-Ghodsi

Christopher Sears

Gabor D Toth

Douglas K Masnaghetti

Frank Laske

Amir Azordegan

Johannes D De Veer

Natalia Malkova

Mikhail M Sushchik

Keith Standiford

Varoujan Chakarian

Waiman Ng

Ananthanarayanan Mohan

Srini Vedula

A metrology system includes a controller coupled to a detector to generate a detection signal based on the reflection of an illumination beam from a multilayer film stack. The multilayer film stack may include one or more zones with a repeating pattern of two or more materials. The controller may generate a model of reflection of the illumination beam by modeling the zones as thick films having zone thicknesses and effective permittivity values using an effective medium model relating the effective permittivity values of the zones to permittivity values and volume fractions of constituent materials. The controller may further determine values of the zone thicknesses and the volume fractions using a regression of the detection signal based on the effective medium model and further determine average thickness values of the constituent materials based on the number of films, the zone thicknesses, the volume fractions, and the effective permittivity values.

Multilayer film metrology using an effective media approximation

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and articles of manufacture are provided for recovering a digitized spectrum and may comprise: an optical system configured to transform rays, the optical system including a diffraction grating, a steering mirror, a stage, and an actuator configured to move one of the stage, diffraction grating, or steering mirror according to a movement regime to vary an incidence of the rays on the stage; a sensor array disposed on the stage configured to receive the rays incident from the optical system at a plurality of measurement locations to obtain a plurality of ray spectra; and a processor electrically connected to the sensor array configured to receive the ray spectra, interleave the ray spectra to yield an interleaved spectrum, and deconvolve a point spread function corresponding to the optical system from the interleaved spectrum to yield a recovered digitized spectrum.

Variable resolution spectrometer

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

Methods and systems for performing measurements of multiple die with an array of electron beam columns are presented herein. The wafer is scanned in a direction parallel to the die rows disposed on the wafer. The electron beam measurement columns are spatially separated in a column alignment direction. The wafer is scanned in a direction that is oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the column alignment direction such that each electron beam column measures the same row of die features on different die during the same wafer pass. The wafer is oriented with respect to the array of electron beam columns by rotating the wafer, rotating the electron beam columns, or both. In further aspects, each measurement beam is deflected to correct alignment errors between each column and the corresponding die row to be measured and to correct wafer positioning errors reported by the wafer positioning system.

Measurement of overlay and edge placement errors with an electron beam column array

System and methods for decomposing an Auger electron spectrum into elemental and chemical components, includes conditioning and input spectrum to generate a normalized input spectrum; determining statistical correlation between the normalized input spectrum and stored elemental spectral signatures; and characterizing elemental or chemical species in the input spectrum from the statistical correlation, wherein said conditioning the input spectrum includes estimating a background signal of non-Auger electrons in the input spectrum and subtracting the estimated background signal from the input spectrum.

Auger elemental identification algorithm

One embodiment relates to a method for metrology using an electron beam apparatus. At least one region of interest is selected in a field of view at a magnification level. Scanning parameters are determined to selectively scan over the at least one regions of interest under the magnification level of the field of view. The electron beam is selectively scanned over the at least one region of interest to capture image data from the at least one region of interest while maintaining the magnification level of the field of view. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Region-of-interest based electron beam metrology

One embodiment disclosed relates to a method for automated focusing of an electron image. An EF cut-off voltage is determined. In compensation for a change in the EF cut-off voltage, a focusing condition is adjusted. Adjusting the focusing condition may comprise, for example, adjusting a wafer bias voltage in correspondence to the change in cut-off voltage. Another embodiment disclosed relates to a method for automated focusing of an electron image in a scanning electron imaging apparatus. A focusing condition of a primary electron beam in a first image plane is varied so as to maximize an intensity of a secondary electron beam through an aperture in a second image plane.

Automated focusing of electron image

A method of improving stability for CD-SEM measurements of photoresist, in particular 193 nm photoresist, and of reducing shrinkage of 193 nm photoresist during CD-SEM measurements. The photoresist is exposed to a dose of electrons or other stabilizing beam prior to or during CD measurement. One embodiment of the invention includes multiplexing of the SEM electron beam.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mark Allen Neil