Vistec Semiconductor Systems Gmbh

Kla-tencor Mie Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh

Michael Heiden

Klaus Rinn

Hans-Artur Boesser

Klaus-Dieter Adam

Andreas Schaaf

Frank Laske

Lambert Danner

Alexander Buettner

Wolfgang Fricke

Wolfgang Sulik

A device for determining the position of a structure on an object in relation to a coordinate system is disclosed. The object is placed on a measuring table which is movable in one plane, wherein a block defines the plane. At least one optical arrangement is provided for transmitted light illumination and/or reflected light illumination. The optical arrangement comprises an illumination apparatus for reflected light illumination and/or transmitted light illumination and at least one first or second optical element, wherein at least part of the at least one optical element extends into the space between the block and an optical system support. At least one encapsulation is provided, encapsulating at least one optical component of at least one optical arrangement and/or at least one optical element.

Device for determining the position of at least one structure on an object, use of an illumination apparatus with the device and use of protective gas with the device

Element for homogenizing the illumination with simultaneous setting of the polarization degree, wherein the element consists of at least two components. The first component is a microlens array, and the second component is a filter for setting the desired polarization.

Element for homogenizing the illumination with simultaneous setting of the polarization degree

A metrology tool () for measuring the positions of structures () on a mask surface () is disclosed. On a measuring stage () a reflector () selective with respect to the wavelength is provided, which essentially reflects light within a first wavelength region emitted from a first illumination device (), and essentially does not reflect light within a second wavelength region emitted from a second illumination device (). The reflector () selective with respect to the wavelength preferentially is a dichroic mirror. By detecting the light within the first wavelength region reflected by the reflector () the position of predefined sections of outer edges () of the mask is determined. The light from the second wavelength region is used for determining the coordinates of structures on the mask. Due to the selectivity with respect to the wavelength of the reflector () this determination of coordinates is not perturbed by a reflection of the light within the second wavelength region from the reflector ().

Apparatus for the optical inspection of wafers

What is disclosed is a device () for automatic detection of a possible incorrect measurement, wherein the device () comprises at least one reflected light illumination apparatus () and/or a transmitted light illumination apparatus () and at least one imaging optical system () and one detector () of a camera () for imaging structures () on a substrate (), wherein a first program portion () is linked to the detector () of the camera (), said detector being provided for determining the position and/or dimension of the structure () on the substrate (), wherein the device () determines and records a plurality of measurement variables M, j&#x3b5;{1, . . . , L}, from which at least one variable G can be determined, wherein a second program portion () is linked to the detector () of the camera (), said program portion calculating an analysis of the measurement variables Mwith regard to a possible incorrect measurement. Also disclosed is a method for automatic detection of a possible incorrect measurement wherein an analysis of the measurement variables Mwith regard to a possible incorrect measurement is calculated with a second program portion () which is linked to the detector () of the camera ().

Device and method for automatic detection of incorrect measurements by means of quality factors

An apparatus () for measuring structures () on a mask () and for calculating structures in a photoresist on a wafer resulting from the structures () on the mask () is disclosed, wherein the apparatus () comprises at least one incident-light illumination means () and/or one transmitted-light illumination means (), wherein the apparatus () comprises at least one imaging optics () and a detector () of a camera () for imaging the structures () on the mask (), wherein a first computer program () is associated with the detector () of the camera () and provided for determining the position and/or the dimension of the structure () on the mask (). A method for measuring structures () on a mask () and for calculating structures in a photoresist on a wafer to be expected from the structures () on the mask () is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for measuring structures on a mask and or for calculating structures in a photoresist resulting from the structures

A method for determining the centrality of masks is disclosed. The mask is positioned in a coordinate measuring device on a measurement table displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of an imaging measurement system in an interferometrically measurable way. The position of a mask coordinate system with respect to the measuring device coordinate system is determined based on at lest two structures on the mask. The relative distance from one of the at least first and second outer edges to the at least two structures is determined. The coordinate measuring machine determines the actual coordinates of the at least two structures with respect to the respective outer edges, which must not exceed a predetermined deviation from a desired value.

Method for determining the centrality of masks

A system and a method for determining positions of structures on a substrate are disclosed. The system includes at least one measurement table () movable in the X-coordinate direction and in the Y-coordinate direction, a measurement objective () and a camera for determining the positions of the structures () on the substrate (). The position of the measurement objective () and/or the measurement table () may be determined by at least one interferometer (). The system is surrounded by a housing representing a climatic chamber () provided with an active pressure regulation.

System and method for determining positions of structures on a substrate

A coordinate measuring machine () for measuring structures () on a substrate () including a measurement table () movable in the X-coordinate direction and in the Y-coordinate direction, a measurement objective (), at least one laser interferometer () for determining the position of the measurement table () and the measurement objective () wherein the measurement table (), the measurement objective () and the at least one laser interferometer () are arranged in a vacuum chamber ().

Coordinate measuring machine for measuring structures on a substrate

A method for reproducibly determining object characteristics is disclosed. Herein an object is imaged onto a detector by means of an imaging optics and detected thereon. A correction function k is applied to a brightness measuring result N originally detected by a detector in such a way, that a corrected brightness measuring result N' is proportional to a brightness I impinging on the detector.

Method for reproducibly determining geometrical and/or optical object characteristics

A method and a coordinate measuring machine () are provided, wherein the non-linearities of an interferometer () can be corrected. A measuring stage () traversable in a plane () is provided for measurement. The substrate () is placed in a measuring stage (); wherein the position of the measuring stage () along each of the motion axes is determined by at least one interferometer () in each case. A computer () is provided for compensating the non-linearity inherent in each of the interferometers (), wherein the position of the measuring stage () to be determined by the interferometers () is arranged along a trajectory () of the measuring stage (), which is composed at least partially of components of the axes.

Coordinate measuring machine and a method for correcting non-linearities of the interferometers of a coordinate measuring machine

A device for determining the position of a structure () on an object () in relation to a coordinate system is disclosed. The object () is placed on a measuring table () which is movable in one plane (), wherein a block () defines the plane (). At least one optical arrangement (,) is provided for transmitted light illumination and/or reflected light illumination. The optical arrangement (,) comprises an illumination apparatus (,) for reflected light illumination and/or transmitted light illumination and at least one first or second optical element (,), wherein at least part of the at least one optical element (,) extends into the space () between the block () and an optical system support (). The block () and/or the optical system support () separates the illumination apparatus (,) spatially from the plane () in which the measuring table () is movable.

A coordinate measuring machine for the structured illumination of substrates is disclosed. The incident light illumination means and/or the transmitted light illumination means have a pupil access via which at least one optical element is positionable in the optical illumination path. The size and/or type and/or the polarization of the pupil illumination may be manipulated such that the structured illumination of the substrate in the coordinate measuring machine corresponds to the structured illumination of this substrate in the exposure process with a stepper.

Coordinate measuring machine and method for structured illumination of substrates

A coordinate measuring machine () including a plane () in which there is arranged a movable measurement table () moving the mask () correspondingly in the plane (), at least one objective () and a detector (), an incident light source () arranged to provide incident light and/or a transmitted light source () arranged to provide transmitted light, wherein the mask () has at least a first area () and a second area (), wherein the first area () and the second area () comprise different materials differing in their transmission or reflection properties.

Device and method for determining an optical property of a mask

A method for correcting the measuring errors caused by the lens distortion of an objective in a coordinate measuring machine is disclosed. For a plurality of different types of structures, the lens distortion caused by an objective is determined in an image field of the objective. The position of a type of structure is determined in the image field of the objective by a measuring window. The correction of the lens distortion required for the type of structure to be measured is retrieved from the database as a function of the type of structure to be measured.

Method for correcting measuring errors caused by the lens distortion of an objective

A method is disclosed for eliminating sources of error in the system correction of a coordinate measuring machine. Herein, a number j of reference structureson a rigid reference objectare measured in a starting orientation k=0, and the starting coordinates and the reference coordinates of the reference structureson the reference objectare determined in a number k&#x2267;3 of mutually different orientations.

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Woelfersheim, Germany

Michael Heiden