Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Tomohiro Funakoshi

Junko Konishi

Tsunehiro Sakai

Yuji Miyoshi

Takuma Yamamoto

Fumiaki Endo

Makoto Ono

Takehiro Hirai

Yasutaka Toyoda

Noritsugu Takahashi

Kenji Tanimoto

Yuichi Hamamura

Seiji Isogai

Katsuhiko Ichinose

Masami Ikota

Yutaka Tandai

Shigeaki Hijikata

Ayumi Doi

Tomohiro Tamori

Yuya Isomae

Tamao Ishikawa

Shigeki Kurihara

Yuko Kariya

A sample observation device of the invention includes: a charged particle optical column for irradiating a sample with charged particle beams at a first acceleration voltage, the sample having a target part to be observed which is a concave part; an image acquisition part for acquiring an image including the target part to be observed on the basis of signals obtained by irradiation with the charged particle beams; a memory part for memorizing in advance, at each of a plurality of acceleration voltages, information indicating a relationship between a brightness ratio of a concave part to a periphery part of the concave part in a standard sample and a value indicating a structure of the concave part in the standard sample; and an operation part for obtaining a brightness ratio of the concave part to a periphery part of the concave part in the image. The operation part judges appropriateness/inappropriateness of the first acceleration voltage with the use of the information indicating the relationship and the brightness ratio in the image.

Sample observation device having a selectable acceleration voltage

An overlay misalignment amount of patterns on different layers can be accurately measured. To achieve this, a charged particle beam device includes: a charged particle beam source irradiating a sample with a charged particle beam under one irradiation condition; a first detector that detects a signal generated front a first pattern formed on a first layer in an irradiation region; a second detector that detects a signal generated from a second pattern formed on a second layer in the irradiation region at a same time as the first detector; and an image processing unit that calculates an overlay misalignment amount between the first pattern and the second pattern based on a first detection signal and a second detection signal output by the first detector and the second detector, respectively.

Charged particle beam device and overlay misalignment measurement method

A defect image processing apparatus uses a normalized cross correlation to image-match a layout image () acquired from a design data with an image acquired by removing, from a defect image (), the defect area portions thereof, and displays, as a result of that matching, a layout image and defect image () on the display device. In the displayed layout image & defect image (), not only the layout image, the layer of which is the same as that of the defect image (), but also a layout image of another layer is displayed superimposed on the defect image (). This makes it easier to analyze the factor of a systematic defect having occurred due to a positional relationship with another layer.

Defect image processing apparatus, defect image processing method, semiconductor defect classifying apparatus, and semiconductor defect classifying method

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of accurately inspecting a circuit pattern in which the contrast of an observation image is not clear, like a circuit pattern having a multilayer structure. A pattern inspection method according to the present invention divides a circuit pattern using the brightness of a reflection electron image and associates the region in the reflection electron image belonging to each division with the region in a secondary electron image.

Pattern inspection method, pattern inspection program, and electronic device inspection system

The objective is to improve a classification standard. Classification standard data, in which is registered image data information that is the standard when image data is classified, and classification data, in which is registered image data information that is the result when newly input image data is classified using the classification standard data, are stored in a storage unit. An image classification device is characterized in that when any image data information of the image data that is registered in the classification data is selected by means of an input unit, and an instruction to additionally register the selected image data information in the classification standard data is input by means of the input unit, the selected image data information is additionally registered in the classification standard data.

Image classification standard update method, program, and image classification device

Provided is an observation condition determination support device which can improve the defect classification accuracy. The observation condition determination support device includes: a means () for acquiring a plurality of defects images which have captured the same defect under a plurality of observation conditions set in advance in an observation device () in accordance with check data relating to defects of a semiconductor device detected by an inspection device (); a means () for classifying the plurality of the same defects according to the respective defect images and determining a first category to which the same defects belong for each of the observation conditions as a result of the classification; and a means () for determining an observation condition to be used when fabricating the semiconductor device among the plurality of the observation conditions according to the ratio at which the first category is matched with a second category determined by a user of the observation device who has classified the same defects.

Observation condition determination support device and observation condition determination support method

A surface inspection toolmeasures scattering light intensity of scattering light generated by irradiated irradiation light in association with a measurement coordinate on a waferwith patterns and inspects the surface roughness of the wafer. The surface inspection tool includes a controllerwhich extracts measurement coordinate of the measured scattering light intensity that is equal to or more than a lower limit threshold L, sets an inspection rangeof the surface roughness inspection in a partial layoutof a part of the whole layoutof the pattern corresponding to the periphery of the extracted measurement coordinate, and obtains the surface roughness in the inspection range

Surface inspection tool and surface inspection method

An object of the invention is to provide a defect inspection method which can prevent the failure in detecting a defect, caused by saturation of a pattern signal obtained by inspecting an inspected object, so that the investigation of the cause for defect occurrence can be done earlier. To achieve this object, according to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a defect inspection that irradiates laser light on an inspected object having a pattern formed thereon, detects a signal from the inspected object and thereby detects a defect, the inspection including: inputting pattern information contained in layout data on the inspected object; determining based on the inputted pattern information, at least one of arrangement, repetitiveness and density for each of a plurality of inspected areas of the inspected object; estimating a saturation level of the detected signal based on the determination result; and determining a transmittance condition so that the signal does not saturate.

Defect inspection method and defect inspection system

In order to allow to easily specify inspection recipe with which defects desired to be detected can be detected efficiently, a defect inspection apparatus performs defect inspection of a substrate in accordance with a plurality of inspection recipes and produces defect information associated with position of defect in the substrate and attribute data of the defect for each of the inspection recipes and a defect review apparatus produces review result information specifying a kind of defect selected from defects contained in the defect information. An analyzing apparatus obtains defect information and review result information and totalizes the number of defects having attribute data similar to attribute data possessed in defects corresponding to kind of defects to be analyzed for each inspection recipe.

Analyzing apparatus, program, defect inspection apparatus, defect review apparatus, analysis system, and analysis method

A defect detected by a wafer inspection tool is reliably captured by a defect review tool. A defect review condition in the defect review tool is varied depending on defect attributes provided by the wafer inspection tool so as to optimize the review process. For example, review magnification is varied depending on the size of the defect, or the frame addition number is varied depending on the maximum gray level difference.

Wafer inspection data handling and defect review tool

An object of the present invention is to provide a surface inspection tool in which a flat inspection range capable of measuring surface roughness of a wafer with patterns with high accuracy and in a nondestructive manner can be searched without visual search. In order to solve the object, in a surface inspection toolwhich measures scattering light intensity of scattering light generated by irradiated irradiation light in association with a measurement coordinate on a waferwith patterns and inspects the surface roughness of the wafer, the surface inspection tool includes a controllerwhich extracts measurement coordinate of the measured scattering light intensity that is equal to or more than a lower limit threshold L, sets an inspection rangeof the surface roughness inspection in a partial layoutof a part of the whole layoutof the pattern corresponding to the periphery of the extracted measurement coordinate, and obtains the surface roughness in the inspection range

A surface defect data display and management system comprises a risk score calculation unit for calculating the magnitude of an influence a surface defect on a wafer detected by a wafer inspection system or review system has upon a reduction in the yield of a final product as a risk score of the surface defect based on a defect size of the surface defect on the wafer and a pattern concentration obtained from design data of a pattern figure nearby a location corresponding to the position of the surface defect, and a correlation graph and defect image display unit for preparing a correlation graph showing the correlation between the defect size and the risk score of each defect, displaying the prepared correlation graph on the display apparatus and displaying additionally a defect image list of one or more defects selected by using the correlation graph.

Surface defect data display and management system and a method of displaying and managing a surface defect data

In operation to obtain an optimal observation condition in a review system, the number of trial reviews can be reduced to improve efficiency of the operation. For a defect review conducted by the review system, a recipe parameter management system stores, as recipe parameter setting history in a recipe parameter setting history database (DB), a recipe parameter setting values of recipe parameters set when the defect review is conducted, the number of trial reviews carried out until the recipe parameter setting values are set, and defect images obtained when the defect review is conducted. The apparatus displays, on a terminal, histograms and the numbers of trial reviews generated based on the recipe parameter setting history data stored in the recipe parameter setting history database (DB). Hence, the operator can easily obtain data regarding the recipe parameter setting in the past.

Recipe parameter management system and recipe parameter management method

A data processing apparatus, which is connected to an inspection tool and an review tool via a network, automatically receives inspection result file regarding defect information from the inspection tool and image information from the review tool. Moreover, the data processing apparatus makes comparative check between the defect, image, and attribute information outputted from the inspection tool and the defect, image, and attribute information observed in the review tool. Finally, the data processing apparatus displays, on its window, both of the above-described information in a manner of being organized and arranged side by side.

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Hitachinaka, Japan

Tomohiro Funakoshi