Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Te-Chih Huang

Tsai-Sheng Gau

Chih-Ming Ke

Kuei Shun Chen

Yu-Ching Lee

Chih-Yang Yeh

Yu-Piao Fang

Ru-Gun Liu

Arie Jeffrey Den Boef

Maurits Van Der Schaar

Wen-Chun Huang

Tsong-Hua Ou

Ying-Chou Cheng

Yao-Ching Ku

George Liu

Yu-Po Tang

Boren Luo

Wen-Hao Liu

Yu Lun Liu

Shu-Chen Lu

Hua-Tai Lin

Youping Zhang

Shu-Hao Chang

Shih-Che Wang

Yi-Hao Chen

Omer Abubaker Omer Adam

Ta-Ching Yu

Jia-Rui Hu

Chen-Yen Kao

Yuan-Fu Hsu

Chin-Hsiang Lin

Heng-Hsin Liu

Shy-Jay Lin

Richard Johannes Franciscus Van Haren

Hugo Augustinus Joseph Cramer

Wen-Chuan Wang

Yen-Wen Lu

Martin Jacobus Johan Jak

Chia-Chu Liu

Hendrik Jan Hidde Smilde

Yen-Liang Chen

Boris Menchtchikov

Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel

Jen-Shiang Wang

Henricus Johannes Lambertus Megens

Jyuh-Fuh Lin

Victor Emanuel Calado

Jay Jianhui Chen

Wei-Yu Su

Chi-Yuan Sun

Wei Liu

Guo-Tsai Huang

Chen-Ming Wang

Jiann Yuan Huang

Chia-Fong Chang

Ju-Ying Chen

Che-Yen Lee

In a method for inspecting pattern defects, a plurality of patterns are formed over an underlying layer. The plurality of patterns are electrically isolated from each other. A part of the plurality of patterns are scanned with an electron beam to charge the plurality of patterns. An intensity of secondary electrons emitted from the scanned part of the plurality of patterns is obtained. One or more of the plurality of patterns that show an intensity of the secondary electrons different from others of the plurality of patterns are searched.

Method for inspecting pattern defects

An overlay mark includes a first, a second, a third, and a fourth component. The first component is located in a first region of the first overlay mark and includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a first direction. The second component is located in a second region of the first overlay mark and includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the first direction. The third component is located in a third region of the first overlay mark and includes a plurality of gratings that extend in a second direction different from the first direction. The fourth component is located in a fourth region of the first overlay mark and includes a plurality of gratings that extend in the second direction. The first region is aligned with the second region. The third region is aligned with the fourth region.

Multi-function overlay marks for reducing noise and extracting focus and critical dimension information

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for defect inspection. After pattern features are formed in a structure layer, a dummy filling material having dissimilar optical properties from the structure layer is filled in the pattern features. The dissimilar optical properties between materials in the pattern features and the structure layer increase contrast in images captured by an inspection tool, thus increasing the defect capture rate.

Methods of defect inspection

There is disclosed a method of measuring a process parameter for a manufacturing process involving lithography. In a disclosed arrangement the method comprises performing first and second measurements of overlay error in a region on a substrate, and obtaining a measure of the process parameter based on the first and second measurements of overlay error. The first measurement of overlay error is designed to be more sensitive to a perturbation in the process parameter than the second measurement of overlay error by a known amount.

Measuring a process parameter for a manufacturing process involving lithography

A method of determining a critical-dimension-related property, such as critical dimension (CD) or exposure dose, includes illuminating each of a plurality of periodic targets having different respective critical dimension biases, measuring intensity of radiation scattered by the targets, recognizing and extracting each grating from the image, determining a differential signal, and determining the CD-related property based on the differential signal, the CD biases and knowledge that the differential signal approximates to zero at a 1:1 line-to-space ratio of such periodic targets. Use of the determined CD-related property to control a lithography apparatus in lithographic processing of subsequent substrates. In order to use just two CD biases, a calibration may use measurements on a 'golden wafer' (i.e. a reference substrate) to determine the intensity gradient for each of the CD pairs, with known CDs. Alternatively, the calibration can be based upon simulation of the sensitivity of intensity gradient to CD.

Method of determining critical-dimension-related properties, inspection apparatus and device manufacturing method

A substrate has a plurality of overlay gratings formed thereon by a lithographic process. Each overlay grating has a known overlay bias. The values of overlay bias include for example two values in a region centered on zero and two values in a region centered on P/2, where P is the pitch of the gratings. Overlay is calculated from asymmetry measurements for the gratings using knowledge of the different overlay bias values, each of the overall asymmetry measurements being weighted by a corresponding weight factor. Each one of the weight factors represents a measure of feature asymmetry within the respective overlay grating. The calculation is used to improve subsequent performance of the measurement process, and/or the lithographic process. Some of the asymmetry measurements may additionally be weighted by a second weight factor in order to eliminate or reduce the contribution of phase asymmetry to the overlay.

Metrology method and apparatus, substrates for use in such methods, lithographic system and device manufacturing method

A method to determine an overlay error between a first structure and a second structure, wherein the first structure and second structures are on different layers on a substrate and are imaged onto the substrate by a lithographic process, the method comprising: obtaining an apparent overlay error; obtaining a systematic error caused by a factor other than misalignment of the first and second structures; and determining the overlay error by removing the systematic error from the apparent overlay error. The method may alternatively comprise obtaining apparent characteristics of diffraction orders of diffraction by an overlapping portion of the first and second structures; obtaining corrected characteristics of the diffraction orders; determining the overlay error from the corrected characteristics; and adjusting a characteristic of the lithographic process based on the overlay error.

Metrology method and apparatus

A system for overlay offset measurement in semiconductor manufacturing including a radiation source, a detector, and a calculation unit. The radiation source is operable to irradiate an overlay offset measurement target. The detector is operable to detect a first reflectivity and a second reflectivity of the irradiated overlay offset measurement target. The calculation unit is operable to determine an overlay offset using the detected first and second reflectivity by determining a predetermined overlay offset amount which provides an actual offset of zero.

Measurement of overlay offset in semiconductor processing

In one embodiment, a method for extracting systematic defects is provided. The method includes inspecting a wafer outside a process window to obtain inspection data, defining a defect pattern from the inspection data, filtering defects from design data using a pattern search for the defined defect pattern within the design data, inspecting defects inside the process window with greater sensitivity than outside the process window, and determining systematic defects inside the process window. A computer readable storage medium, and a system for extracting systematic defects are also provided.

Extraction of systematic defects

An embodiment of a feed-forward method of determining a photomask pattern is provided. The method includes providing design data associated with an integrated circuit device. A thickness of a coating layer to be used in fabricating the integrated circuit device is predicted based on the design data. This prediction is used to generate a gradating pattern. A photomask is formed having the gradating pattern.

Method of defining an intensity selective exposure photomask

Growing community of inventors

Chu-Bei, Taiwan

Te-Chih Huang