Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

Tzahi Grunzweig

Alexander Svizher

Amnon Manassen

Andrew V Hill

Daniel Kandel

Nadav Gutman

Barak Bringoltz

Tal Marciano

Barry Loevsky

Nadav Carmel

Nimrod Shuall

Claire Staniunas

Vladimir Levinski

Michael E Adel

Ady Levy

Mark Ghinovker

Leonid Poslavsky

Eran Amit

Yuri Paskover

Nuriel Amir

John Charles Robinson

Mark Wagner

Anna Golotsvan

Dana Klein

Tal Itzkovich

David Gready

Einat Peled

Ofer Zaharan

Vidya Ramanathan

Janay Camp

Jordan Pio

Victoria Naipak

Systems and methods of optimizing wafer transport and metrology measurements in a fab are provided. Methods comprise deriving and updating dynamic sampling plans that provide wafer-specific measurement sites and conditions, deriving optimized wafer measurement paths for metrology measurements of the wafers that correspond to the dynamic sampling plan, managing FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) transport through the fab, transporting wafers to measurement tools while providing the dynamic sampling plans and the wafer measurement paths to the respective measurement tools before or as the FOUPs with the respective wafers are transported thereto, and carrying out metrology and/or inspection measurements of the respective wafers by the respective measurement tools according to the derived wafer measurement paths. Quantum computing resources may be used to solve the corresponding specific optimization problems, to reduce the required time, improve the calculated solutions and improve the fab yield and accuracy of the produced wafers.

Fab management with dynamic sampling plans, optimized wafer measurement paths and optimized wafer transport, using quantum computing

A scatterometry metrology system, configured to measure diffraction signals from at least one target having respective at least one measurement direction, the scatterometry metrology system having at least one field stop having edges which are slanted with respect to the at least one measurement direction.

Rotated boundaries of stops and targets

Systems and methods are provided, which calculate overlay misregistration error estimations from analyzed measurements of each ROI (region of interest) in at least one metrology imaging target, and incorporate the calculated overlay misregistration error estimations in a corresponding estimation of overlay misregistration. Disclosed embodiments provide a graduated and weighted analysis of target quality which may be integrated in a continuous manner into the metrology measurement processes, and moreover evaluates target quality in terms of overlay misregistration, which forms a common basis for evaluation of errors from different sources, such as characteristics of production steps, measurement parameters and target characteristics. Such common basis then enables any of combining various error sources to give a single number associated with measurement fidelity, analyzing various errors at wafer, lot and process levels, and/or to trade-off the resulting accuracy for throughput by reducing the number of measurements, in a controlled manner.

Utilizing overlay misregistration error estimations in imaging overlay metrology

Scatterometry overlay targets and measurement methods are provided, which are configured to detect and eliminate process-related errors and illumination-related errors from overlay measurements of the targets. Targets comprise at least three cells associated with a measurement direction, wherein at least two of the cells comprise periodic structures at different target layers, having a same pitch and opposite offsets between the two cells, and at least an additional cell comprises a periodic structure with the same pitch at only one of the target layers. The additional cell(s) are used to detect irregularities in the respective periodic structure(s), enable estimation of process quality, provide reference images, enhance metrology simulations and provide mitigation of errors in critical process steps. Measurement methods incorporate scatterometry measurements ion the additional cell(s) for these purposes.

Fault discrimination and calibration of scatterometry overlay targets

Systems and method are presented for identifying process variations during manufacture of products such as semiconductor wafers. At a predetermined stage during manufacture of a first products, images of an area of the first product are obtained using different values of at least one imaging parameter. The images are then analyzed to generate a first contrast signature for said first product indicating variations of contrast with said at least one imaging parameter. At the same predetermined stage during manufacture of a second product, images of an area of said second product are obtained corresponding to said area of said first product using different values of said at least one imaging parameter. The images are analyzed to generate a second contrast signature for said second product indicating variations of contrast with said at least one imaging parameter. The first and second contrast signatures are compared to identify whether a variation in process occurred between manufacture of said first and second products.

Identifying process variations during product manufacture

Metrology methods and modules are provided, which comprise measuring intensity spatial distributions and peaks of spots at the pupil plane of a metrology system that correspond to various diffraction orders scattered from target cells and calculating overlay(s) of the target cell(s) from the measured intensity spatial distributions and peaks. For example, intensity peak or distribution of zeroth diffraction orders from four cells, first diffraction orders from two cells as well as diffraction orders from a single cell may be used to derive an overlay estimation, which may also be compared to standard overlay measurements for different purposes. Intensity spatial distributions may also be used to derive weight function for adjusting measurements or the metrology system.

Scatterometry overlay based on reflection peak locations

A scatterometry measurement system includes an objective lens with a central obscuration and an illumination source configured to illuminate a scatterometry target through the objective lens with a first illumination beam at a first illumination angle and a second illumination beam at a second illumination angle in which the scatterometry target includes periodic structures located in at least two layers. The objective lens collects at least one diffracted order from the first illumination beam and at least one diffracted order from the second illumination beam such that the at least one diffracted order from the first illumination beam and the at least one diffracted order from the second illumination beam have a non-overlapping distribution in a portion of an imaging pupil plane not blocked by the central obscuration.

Scatterometry system and method for generating non-overlapping and non-truncated diffraction images

A metrology performance analysis system includes a metrology tool including one or more detectors and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors. The controller is configured to receive one or more metrology data sets associated with a metrology target from the metrology tool in which the one or more metrology data sets include one or more measured metrology metrics and the one or more measured metrology metrics indicate deviations from nominal values. The controller is further configured to determine relationships between the deviations from the nominal values and one or more selected semiconductor process variations, and determine one or more root causes of the deviations from the nominal values based on the relationships between values of the one or more metrology metrics and the one or more selected semiconductor process variations.

Feed forward of metrology data in a metrology system

Methods and metrology modules and tools are provided, which minimize an estimated overlay variation measure at misalignment vector values obtained from a derived functional form of an overlay linear response to non-periodic effects. Provided methods further quantifying target noise due to the non-periodic effects using multiple repeated overlay measurements of the target cells, calculating an ensemble of overlay measurements between the cells over the multiple measurement repeats and expressing the target noise as a statistical derivative of the calculated overlay measurements. Sub-ensembles may be selected to further characterize the target noise. Various outputs include optimized scanning patterns, target noise metrics and recipe and target optimization.

Decreasing inaccuracy due to non-periodic effects on scatterometric signals

Scatterometry measurement systems, illumination configurations and respective methods are provided, which comprise illumination beams that have vertical projections on a target plane comprising both a parallel component and a perpendicular component, with respect to a target measurement direction. The illumination beams propagate at an angle to the plane defined by the measurement direction and a normal to the targets surface and generate diffraction images which are off-center at the imaging pupil plane. The eccentric diffraction images are spatially arranged to avoid overlaps and to correspond to measurement requirements such as spot sizes, number of required diffraction orders and so forth. The illumination beams may be implemented using illumination pupil masks, which provide a simple way to increase scatterometry measurements throughput.

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Timrat, Israel

Tzahi Grunzweig