Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Yasuhiro Hidaka

Mitsunori Numata

Myungjun Lee

Wookrae Kim

Ingi Kim

Jaehwang Jung

Jinseob Kim

Yu-sin Yang

Sung-Ho Jang

Masato Kajinami

Takayuki Sasaoka

Young-kyu Park

Ye-eun Park

In semiconductor inspection using second-harmonic generation within an object, a weak second-harmonic is detected at high sensitivity. In a semiconductor inspecting apparatus which irradiates a pulsed laser with a very short pulse width to a surface of a semiconductor device as the object, and measures the second-harmonic generated within the semiconductor device, a second-harmonic generation element is disposed between a light source and the object to generate a first second-harmonic. Further, the apparatus modulates a phase of only the first second-harmonic using an electric optical crystal, and then, a fundamental wave is irradiated onto the object. When the fundamental wave is irradiated onto the semiconductor device, the second-harmonic is generated therefrom. The first second-harmonic interferes with the second second-harmonic on a detector, and an intensity of the light obtained by the interfering is modulated at the same period as that of the phase modulation of the first second-harmonic. An amplitude of the second second-harmonic may be obtained from a modulated amplitude thereof, and a phase of the second second-harmonic may be measured from a modulated phase thereof.

Apparatus for inspecting surface of object

An ellipsometer capable of improving a throughput calculating ellipsometry coefficients (Ψ, Δ) even when performing measurement with a combination of a light source having a wide wavelength band and a spectrometer, and an apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device is e hid g the ellipsometer may be provided. The ellipsometer includes a polarizing optical element unit for separating reflected light into two polarization components having polarization directions that are orthogonal to each other in a radial direction with respect to an optical axis of an optical system of the reflected light, an analyzer unit for transmitting components of a direction different from the polarization directions of the two polarization components to make the two polarization components interfere with each other, and to form an interference fringe in a form of a concentric circle, an image detector for detecting the interference fringe, and processing circuitry for calculating ellipsometry coefficients from the interference fringe.

Ellipsometer and apparatus for inspecting semiconductor device including the ellipsometer

A measuring apparatus includes a first beam splitter, a diffraction grating, an optical illumination system, an optical condensing system configured to condense an electromagnetic wave EH radiated from the specimen, a time domain detector configured to detect the electromagnetic wave EH, for each time when the trigger beam, light path length of which has been changed in a delay mechanism, is incident, and a controller configured to lock-in detect the electromagnetic wave EH with a driving frequency of an amplitude modulation element, wherein the controller obtains a magnitude and a direction of an electric field of the measurement portion by Fourier transforming a time domain waveform of the detected electromagnetic wave EH to obtain a frequency domain waveform, and filtering a frequency band from the obtained frequency domain waveform.

Measuring apparatus and testing apparatus having the same

Provided is a pupil ellipsometry measurement apparatus configured to measure an object, the pupil ellipsometry measurement apparatus including a stage configured to support the object to be measured, a light source unit configured to generate and output light, an irradiation optical system configured to focus the light from the light source unit on the object, a first detector configured to detect an image of reflected light from the object on an imaging plane, a self-interference generator (SIG) configured to generate self-interference with respect to the reflected light, a second detector configured to detect a hologram image of interference light of the SIG on a pupil plane, and a processor configured to reconstruct reflectance information based on the hologram image, and measure the object.

Pupil ellipsometry measurement apparatus and method and method of fabricating semiconductor device using the pupil ellipsometry measurement method

An ellipsometer is provided. The ellipsometer includes: a polarizing optical element, comprising a prism, that is configured to split reflected light into two linearly polarized components of light having polarization directions orthogonal to each other, the reflected light generated by reflecting illuminated light, including linearly polarized light that is polarized in one direction, from a measurement surface of a sample; an interference member, comprising at least one body, that is configured to form at least one interference fringe in which the two linearly polarized components of light interfere with each other in directions different from the polarization directions; an image detector configured to detect the at least one interference fringe; and an analysis device including at least one processor, the analysis device configured to calculate ellipsometry coefficients Ψ and Δ based on the at least one interference fringe that is detected.

Ellipsometer and inspection device for inspecting semiconductor device having the same

An optical device is provided. The optical device includes: a light source; a pinhole plate arranged on a path of input light between the light source and an objective lens; an image sensor configured to detect a reflected light generated by the input light being reflected by a sample; and a noise filter arranged on the path of the reflected light between the image sensor and the objective lens, and the noise filter may remove a part of the reflected light generated by underlying layers below a measurement target layer of the sample.

Optical device

An ellipsometer includes a first separation unit configured to separate a first reflected light into two reflected lights, a first polarizing optical element configured to separate each of the two reflected lights into two linearly polarized lights, a first interference device configured to form an interference fringe by allowing components of the two linearly polarized lights to interfere with each other, a second separation unit configured to separate a second reflected light into two reflected lights, a second polarizing optical element configured to separate each of the two reflected lights into two linearly polarized lights, and a second interference device configured to form an interference fringe by allowing components of the two linearly polarized lights to interfere with each other.

Ellipsometer

A lighting device includes a light source generating a beam of illumination light, a ring-shaped aperture shielding a central portion of the illumination light and transforming the beam of illumination light into ring-shaped illumination light, and an object lens focusing the ring-shaped illumination light such that a specimen can be illuminated with the ring-shaped illumination light. An inspection apparatus including the light device also has a beam splitter and an image sensor picking up light reflected and/or diffracted from the specimen through the beam splitter. Because a central portion of the illumination light is shielded, lens flare of light transmitted by the beam splitter and the object lens is prevented thereby preventing speckles in the image produced by the image sensor.

Lighting device and inspection apparatus having the same

Provided is an ellipsometer including a polarizing optical device configured to separate light, reflected from a sample that is irradiated with illumination light comprising a linearly polarized light, into a first linearly polarized light in a first polarization direction and a second linearly polarized light in a second polarization direction that is orthogonal to the first polarization direction, and a light-receiving optical system configured to calculate an &#x3a8; and &#x394;, an amplitude ratio and a phase difference of the two polarized light respectively, from an interference fringe formed by interference between the first linearly polarized light and the second linearly polarized light after passing through an analyzing device with transmission axis different from the first polarization direction and the second polarization direction.

Ellipsometer and inspection device for semiconductor device

Provided is a hyperspectral imaging (HSI)-based inspection apparatus capable of quickly and stably performing two-dimensional (2D) HSI for an inspection object, and accordingly, capable of quickly and accurately inspecting the inspection object. The HSI-based inspection apparatus includes: a stage on which an inspection object is arranged; an optical system configured to allow light to be incident on the inspection object and emit the light reflected from the inspection object; a scan mirror configured to reflect the emitted light from the optical system while rotating; and a hyperspectral camera configured to obtain an image having a wavelength direction and a line direction as two axes for light reflected from the scan mirror, wherein, by using the rotation of the scan mirror, the hyperspectral camera is configured to perform the 2D HSI for the inspection object.

Inspecting apparatus based on hyperspectral imaging

Provided are a spectrometer optical system and a semiconductor inspection apparatus, for reducing cost by allowing a wide field of view, high spatial resolution, and high wavelength resolution to be compatible with one another. The spectrometer optical system includes a masking having a slit, a first spherical mirror positioned to reflect light received from the slit, a second spherical mirror positioned to reflect the light reflected from the first spherical mirror, a dispersion element positioned to receive the light reflected from the second spherical mirror, and an image sensor configured to detect the light dispersed by the dispersion element according to wavelengths of the light.

Spectrometer optical system, semiconductor inspection apparatus including the same and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yasuhiro Hidaka