Applied Materials Israel Limited

Applied Materials, Inc.

Technische Universiteit Delft

Ron Naftali

Haim Feldman

Yoram Uziel

Boris Goldberg

Gilad Almogy

Avishay Guetta

Boris Golberg

Doron Shoham

Silviu Reinhorn

Nissim Elmaliach

Pieter Kruit

Alon Litman

Emanuel Elyasaf

Igor Krivts (Krayvitz)

Hou Tee Ng

Steven Robert Rogers

Christopher G Talbot

Roman Kris

Ido Almog

Benzion Sender

Doron Korngut

Ofer Adan

Moshe Langer

Amir Komem

Yuri Belenky

Ofer Shneyour

Dan Grossman

Emanuel Elyasef

Vitaly Rubinovich

Ron Bar-or

Michael Robert Rice

Jürgen Frosien

Juergen Frosien

Avishai Bartov

Yuval Gronau

Ralf Schmid

Pavel Margulis

Benjamin John Cook

Efim Vinnitsky

Doron Meshulach

Israel Avneri

Amir Moshe Sagiv

Natan Schlimoff

Erez Admoni

Tal Kuzniz

Rami Elichai

Gilad Schwartz

Eitan Pinhasi

Guy Shwartz

Yohanan Madmon

Yariv Simovitch

Roman Barday

Yochanan Madmon

Iddo Pinkas

Erel Milshtein

Doron Aspir

Zvika Rozenberg

Ronnie Porat

Helmut Banzhoff

Ran Vered

Igor Slobodnik

Amir Komeem

Dieter Winkler

A polarizer system is described. The polarizer system comprises at least one polarization beam splitter, a polarization rotator, and a beam combiner. The at least one polarization beam splitter is positioned to receive input radiation beam and to split the input radiation beam directing a first beam portion having a first linear polarization orientation along a first path and a second beam portion having a second linear polarization orientation orthogonal to said first linear polarization orientation along a second path. The polarization rotator is located along said second path and configured to rotate polarization of said beam portion to be parallel to said first linear polarization orientation. The beam combiner is configured and positioned to combine said first and second beam portions to form a common beam having said first linear polarization orientation propagating along a selected optical path.

Polarization optical system

A charged particle beam device for irradiating or inspecting a specimen is described. The charged particle beam device includes a charged particle beam source for generating a primary charged particle beam and a multi-aperture lens plate having a plurality of apertures for forming four or more primary. Two or more electrodes having one opening, e.g. having one opening each, for the primary charged particle beam or the four or more primary beamlets are provided. The charged particle beam device further includes a collimator for deflecting a first primary beamlet, a second primary beamlet, a third primary beamlet, and a fourth primary beamlet of the four or more primary beamlets with respect to each other. The charged particle beam device further includes an objective lens unit having three or more electrodes, each electrode having openings for the four or more primary beamlets.

Method for inspecting a specimen and charged particle beam device

Disclosed herein is s computer-based method for obtaining and analyzing multi-die scan data of a patterned wafer. The method includes sequentially implementing an operation of scanning a respective plurality of sets of slices on a wafer, and, per each slice segment in a multiplicity of slice segments in the plurality of sets of slices, an operation of performing die-to-multi-die (D2MD) analysis of scan data of the slice segment in order to detect defects in the slice segment. Each set of slices may constitute a subset of the totality of slices on the respective die-column. Sets scanned in a same implementation are analogous to one another, thereby facilitating&#x2014;in the die-to-multi-die analysis of scan data of a slice segment&#x2014;taking into account, as reference, scan data of areas on other die-columns, which were scanned in the same implementation.

Die-to-multi-die wafer inspection

A method and a system. The system may include (a) evaluation units, (b) an object distribution system for receiving the objects and distributing the objects between the evaluation units, and (c) at least one controller. Each evaluation unit may include (i) a chamber housing that has an inner space, (ii) a chuck, (iii) a movement system that is configured to move the chuck, and (iv) a charged particle module that is configured to irradiate the object with a charged particle beam, and to detect particles emitted from the object. In each evaluation unit a length of the inner space is smaller than twice a length of the object, and a width of the inner space is smaller than twice a width of the object.

Method and system for evaluating objects

A method for evaluating a region of an object, the method may include repeating, for each sub-region out of a first sub-region of the region till a penultimate sub-region of the region, the steps of: (a) acquiring, by a charged particle imager, a charged particle image of the sub-region; and (b) milling, by a charged particle miller, the sub-region to expose another sub-region of region; acquiring, by the charged particle imager, a charged particle image of a last sub-region of the region; and generating three-dimensional information about a content of the region based on charge particle images of the first sub-region till last sub-region of the region.

Method for evaluating a region of an object

A multi-beam charged particle column for inspecting a surface of a sample includes a source for creating multiple primary charged particle beams which are directed towards the sample, an objective lens unit for focusing the primary charged particle beams on the sample, a detector for detecting signal charged particles from the sample, and a magnetic deflection unit arranged between the detector and the sample. The magnetic deflection unit includes a plurality of strips of a magnetic or ferromagnetic material. At least two strips of the plurality of strips are located at opposite sides of a trajectory of a primary charged particle beam and within a distance equal to a pitch of the trajectories of the primary charged particle beams at the magnetic deflection unit. The strips are configured to establish a magnetic field having field lines substantially perpendicular to the trajectories of the primary charged particle beams.

Signal separator for a multi-beam charged particle inspection apparatus

According to an embodiment, a support module is provided for supporting a substrate. The support module may include a chuck and a vertical stage. The chuck may include multiple chuck segments that are independently movable. When the substrate is positioned on the chuck, different chuck segments are positioned under different areas of the substrate. The vertical stage may include multiple piezoelectric motors. Each piezoelectric motor may be configured to perform nanometric scale elevation and lowering movements. The multiple piezoelectric motors may be configured to independently move the multiple chuck segments.

Chuck for supporting a wafer

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense layers of feed material on the platform, and a fusing system including an energy source to generate an energy beam having an adjustable intensity profile, an actuator to cause the energy beam to traverse across an outermost layer of feed material, and a controller coupled to the actuator and the energy source. The controller is configured to cause the energy source to adjust the intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material based on a traversal velocity and/or a traversal direction of the light beam across the outermost layer of feed material.

Controlling an intensity profile of an energy beam in additive manufacturing based on travel direction or velocity

Apparatus and method for inspecting a surface of a sample. The apparatus includes a multi-beam charged particle column comprising a source for creating multiple primary beams directed towards the sample, an objective lens for focusing the primary beams on the sample, an electron-photon converter unit having an array of electron to photon converter sections, each section is located next to a primary beam within a distance equal to a pitch of the primary beams at the electro-photon converter unit, a photon transport unit for transporting light from the electron to photon converter sections to a photo detector, and an electron collection unit for guiding secondary electrons created in the sample, towards the electron-photon converter unit. The electron collection unit is arranged to project secondary electrons created in the sample by one of said primary beams to at least one of the electron to photon converter sections.

Apparatus and method for inspecting a surface of a sample, using a multi-beam charged particle column

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense layers of feed material on the platform, and a fusing system to direct an energy beam to fuse at least a portion of the outermost layer of feed material. The fusing system includes an energy source to emit the energy beam, a deformable mirror to receive the energy beam and reflect the energy beam, wherein a shape of the deformable mirror defines at least in part an intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material, an actuator coupled to the deformable mirror, and a controller coupled to the actuator and configured to cause the actuator to deform the shape of the deformable mirror to adjust the intensity profile of the energy beam on the outermost layer of feed material in accordance to a desired profile.

Controlling an intensity profile of an energy beam with a deformable mirror in additive manufacturing

A method for scanning an object, the method may include moving an object by a first mechanical stage that follows a first scan pattern; introducing multiple movements, by a second mechanical stage, between the object and the first mechanical stage while the first mechanical stage follows the first scan pattern; and obtaining, by optics, images of multiple suspected defects while the first mechanical stage follows the first scan pattern; wherein a weight of the first mechanical stage exceeds a weight of the second mechanical stage.

Scanning an object using multiple mechanical stages

A method for determining a distance between a near field sensor and a substrate, the method may include creating a diffraction pattern by illuminating, with a beam of coherent radiation having a wavelength that does not exceed twenty nanometers, a slit that is formed between the substrate and an opaque element; detecting, by a detector, multiple portions of the diffraction pattern and generating detection signals indicative of the multiple portions of the diffraction pattern; processing the detection signals to determine a height of the slit; and determining the distance between the near field sensor and the substrate based upon (a) the height of the slit, and (b) a relationship between the height of the slit and a location of the near field sensor.

Near-field sensor height control

An inspection system that may include an illumination module that may be configured to scan a sample during multiple scan iterations; wherein during each scan iteration the illumination module scans each beam of a plurality of spaced apart beams along a scan line; a mechanical stage that may be configured to move the sample during the multiple scan iterations; a detection module; and a processor; wherein when the inspection system operates in an interlaced mode, the mechanical stage may be configured to move at a first speed thereby preventing a substantial overlap between scan lines obtained during the multiple scan iterations; wherein when the inspection system operates in a non-interlaced mode: the mechanical stage may be configured to move at a second speed that differs from the first speed thereby introducing an overlap between scan lines of different beams that may be obtained during different scan iterations; the detection module may be configured to generate detection signals in response to a detection of radiation emitted from the sample as a result of each scan line; and wherein the processor may be configured to independently process detection signals relating to different scan lines.

Inspection system and method for inspecting a sample by using a plurality of spaced apart beams

Chamber elements defining an internal chamber to be utilized during a substrate related stage selected from the group consisting of substrate manufacturing stage and substrate inspection stage, the chamber elements comprising: a first element having a first surface; a second element having a second surface about the periphery of the internal chamber; a third element connected to the second element; and a clamping mechanism that is connected to the second and third elements and is arranged to press the second element towards the first element; wherein a first area of the first surface and a second area of the second surface come into proximity with each other at a first interface; wherein the first surface is positioned above the second surface; wherein a gas groove and a vacuum groove are formed in the second area; wherein the second element comprises a gas conduit that is arranged to provide gas to the gas groove and a vacuum conduit that is arranged to provide vacuum to the vacuum groove; wherein a provision of the gas and the vacuum assists in a formation of a gas cushion between the first and second areas; wherein the chamber elements are operable to partially surround a first portion of a movement system and a substrate during the substrate related stage, the movement system is arranged to introduce a movement of the first element in relation to the second element and the third element, wherein the gas cushion maintains predefined conditions in the internal chamber during the movement.

System and method for forming a sealed chamber

There may be provided an evaluation system that may include spatial sensors that include atomic force microscopes (AFMs) and a solid immersion lens. The AFMs are arranged to generate spatial relationship information that is indicative of a spatial relationship between the solid immersion lens and a substrate. The controller is arranged to receive the spatial relationship information and to send correction signals to the at least one location correction element for introducing a desired spatial relationship between the solid immersion lens and the substrate.

Evaluation system and a method for evaluating a substrate

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Shoham, Israel

Ron Naftali