Credence Systems Corporation

Carl Zeiss Microscopy Gmbh

Dcg Systems Gmbh

William B Thompson

Theodore R Lundquist

Erwan Le Roy

John Anthony Notte, Iv

Chun-Cheng Tsao

Matthew Andrew

Mark Alan Thompson

Madhumita Sengupta

Patricia Le Coupanec

Lokesh Johri

Eugene A Delenia

Edward Hill

Sybren J Sijbrandij

Richard Moralee

Catherine Kardach

Mamta Slnha

Mamta Sinha

Benjamin Tordorff

Joaquin Correa

The disclosure relates to sample inspection using an ion-beam microscope. In some embodiments, the disclosure involves the use of multiple detectors, each of which provides different information about a sample.

Sample inspection methods, systems and components

A method and system for registering a CAD layout to a Focused Ion Beam image for through-the substrate probing, without using an optical image and without requiring biasing, includes an improved method of trench endpointing during the FIB milling operation with a low beam energy. The method further includes removal of Ga at the trench floor using XeF, as well as the deposition of an insulating layer onto the trench floor.

Method and apparatus for the improvement of material/voltage contrast

A plurality of images, including a first image and a second image having a higher resolution than the first image, are aligned by generating an oversampled cross correlation image that corresponds to relative displacements of the first and second images, and, based on the oversampled cross correlation image, determining an offset value that corresponds to a misalignment of the first and second images. The first and second images are aligned to a precision greater than the resolution of the first image, based on the determined offset value. Enhanced results are achieved by performing another iteration of generating an oversampled cross correlation image and determining an offset value for the first and second images. Generating the oversampled cross correlation image may involve generating a cross correlation image that corresponds to relative displacements of the first and second images, and oversampling the cross correlation image to generate the oversampled cross correlation image.

Sub-resolution alignment of images

The backside navigation method of the present invention includes milling a fiducial opening through the substrate of an integrated circuit. The milling process is stopped when the fiducial opening reaches the bottom of a trench isolation structure. The trench isolation structure delineated by the fiducial opening may be imaged and registered to a computer aided design layout image to achieve sub-micron navigation resolution.

Method and system for integrated circuit backside navigation

A method for utilizing interference fringe patterns generated when milling a trench through a semiconductor substrate by a method such as FIB milling, to determine and optimize the thickness uniformity of the trench bottom. The interference fringes may be mapped and the mapping used to direct the FIB milling to those regions which are thicker to correct observed non-uniformities in the trench floor thickness by varying the pixel dwell time across the milled area. The interference fringe mapping may be used to develop computerized contour lines to automate the pixel dwell time variations as described above, for correcting non-uniformities in the trench floor thickness. The method may be applied to applications other than trench formation for backside editing, such as monitoring progress in forming a milled object.

Method and apparatus for addressing thickness variations of a trench floor formed in a semiconductor substrate

Methods and apparatus for integrated circuit diagnosis, characterization or modification using a focused ion beam. A method for editing an integrated circuit includes acquiring an image of structures of an integrated circuit by applying a focused ion beam to an outer surface of the integrated circuit to visualize structures beneath the outer surface of the integrated circuit. The method includes using the image to find a location of a circuit element in the integrated circuit and then performing one or more editing operations on the circuit element by applying a focused ion beam to the location found.

Imaging integrated circuits with focused ion beam

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

William B Thompson