Applied Materials Israel Limited

Mor Baram

Ishai Schwarzband

Doron Girmonsky

Roman Kris

Shimon Levi

Sergey Khristo

Yan Avniel

Dror Shemesh

Shaul Cohen

Noam Zac

Ron Katzir

Shay Attal

Guy Maoz

Lee Moldovan

Kfir Ben-Zikri

An improved technique for determining height difference in patterns provided on semiconductor wafers uses real measurements (e.g., measurements from SEM images) and a height difference determination model. In one version of the model, a measurable variable of the model is expressed in terms of a function of a change in depth of shadow (i.e. relative brightness), wherein the depth of shadow depends on the height difference as well as width difference between two features on a semiconductor wafer. In another version of the model, the measurable variable is expressed in terms of a function of a change of a measured distance between two characteristic points on the real image of a periodic structure with respect to a change in a tilt angle of a scanning electron beam.

Measuring height difference in patterns on semiconductor wafers

A method for evaluating an object, the method may include acquiring, by a charged particle beam system, an image of an area of a reference object, wherein the area includes multiple instances of a structure of interest, and the structure of interest is of a nanometric scale; determining multiple types of attributes from the image; reducing a number of the attributes to provide reduced attribute information; generating guidelines, based on the reduced attribute information and on reference data, for evaluating the reduced attribute information; and evaluating an actual object by implementing the guidelines.

Evaluating an object

A system, computer readable medium and a method for material analysis, the method may include (i) receiving or generating (a) an estimated composition of a microscopic element; wherein the estimated composition is responsive to an energy spectrum of, at least, the microscopic element; wherein the energy spectrum is obtained by an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector; additional information related to, at least, the microscopic element, wherein the additional information is not obtained by the energy dispersive X-ray detector; and (ii) resolving an ambiguity in the estimated composition in response to the additional information, wherein the ambiguity occurs when the energy spectrum comprises a predefined energy peak that is attributed to a predefined material of ambiguous EDX composition determination.

Resolving ambiguities in an energy spectrum

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Nes-Ziona, Israel

Mor Baram