Applied Materials, Inc.

Kla Tencor Corporation

Savitha Nanjangud

Boguslaw A Swedek

Fred Conrad Redeker

Manoocher Birang

Rajeev Bajaj

Stan D Tsai

Andreas Norbert Wiswesser

David A Chan

Bret W Adams

Carl Hess

Zain Saidin

Christophe Fouquet

Sergio Edelstein

Various systems and methods for detecting design and process defects on a wafer, reviewing defects on a wafer, selecting one or more features within a design for use as process monitoring features, or some combination thereof are provided. One system is configured to detect design defects and process defects at locations on a wafer at which images are acquired by an electron beam review subsystem based on defects in a design, additional defects in the design, which are detected by comparing an image of a die in the design printed on the wafer acquired by the electron beam review subsystem to an image of the die stored in a database, and defects detected on the wafer by a wafer inspection system.

System and method for detecting design and process defects on a wafer using process monitoring features

An optical monitoring system for a two-step polishing process which generates a reflectance trace for each of plurality of radial zones. The CMP apparatus may switch from a high-selectivity slurry to a low-selectivity slurry when any of the reflectance traces indicate initial clearance of the metal layer, and polishing may halt when all of the reflectance traces indicate that oxide layer has been completely exposed.

Optical monitoring in a two-step chemical mechanical polishing process

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Savitha Nanjangud