Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Other

Yoko Miyazaki

Toshiaki Mugibayashi

Toshimasa Tomoda

Nobuyuki Kosaka

Hitoshi Tanaka

Masahiko Ikeno

Toyomi Ohshige

Nobuyoshi Hattori

Junko Izumitani

Kaoru Yamana

Mariko Mizuo

Kyoko Asahina

A monitor wafer is processed by a processing apparatus, and thereafter, it is subjected to an inspection in a foreign object inspection apparatus in accordance with an inspection recipe. A measured result obtained by the inspection is compiled and analyzed in a data management system. Generally, a monitor wafer is not assigned a rot name or a wafer name, however, the measured result is assigned an identification name for identifying plural processing apparatuses from one another, and is stored in a database as storage data.

Inspection analyzing apparatus and semiconductor device

There are described a semiconductor inspection system for inspecting recessed defects formed in a semiconductor wafer and a semiconductor device manufacturing method including an inspection step of inspecting recessed defects formed in a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor inspection system and the semiconductor device manufacturing method enable the following operations: an operation of radiating a laser beam onto a semiconductor wafer; an operation of detecting light scattered from foreign particles, as a result of a laser beam being radiated onto the semiconductor wafer; an operation of converting the detected scattered light into an electric signal; and an operation of outputting information about the recessed defects formed in the semiconductor wafer by means of subtracting the data pertaining to only the foreign particles located on the semiconductor wafer from the data pertaining to both the foreign particles and recessed defects formed in the semiconductor wafer.

Semiconductor inspection system, and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A defect inspection apparatus includes a first main controller for producing a reflectance distribution in a wafer surface to generate illumination light control data, based on the reflectance distribution, the illumination light control data being control data for adjusting the intensity of illumination light so that the intensity of reflected light from all locations in the wafer surface reaches an average intensity value, and a filter controller for inputting a filter control signal to a filter, based on the illumination light control data. The transmittance or reflectance of the filter for illumination light is controlled by the filter control signal. Consequently, the intensity of light reflected from a wafer to be inspected is controlled to provide uniformity in the wafer surface. Therefore, the defect inspection apparatus detects a defect occurring in the object to be inspected with high accuracy.

Defect inspection apparatus

The alignment method allows a constant decision of an alignment point even with an indistinct outline of an alignment mark. An operator moves a chip ( ) so that the whole or parts of an alignment mark ( ) (including at least angles D0A0B0 and A0B0C0) is included within a lens view field ( ), and then decides an alignment point (AP0). More specifically, the operator reads angles which are specified to obtain bisectors, from a defect inspection apparatus; obtains respective bisectors of the angles; and decides the intersection thereof to be the alignment point (AP0). Then, a stage drive required to superimpose the alignment point (AP0) on the center (O) is calculated on the basis of the shift amount between the position of the alignment point (AP0) and the center (O) of a target scope ( ) displayed at the lens view field ( ). The chip ( ) is then moved by the stage drive.

Alignment method and semiconductor device

An inspection apparatus for foreign matter and pattern defects includes an optical portion (D) and an analyzer (AN). The optical portion (D) includes a microscope illumination optical system (D ) for detecting the surface of a semiconductor wafer ( ) in the form of a piece of first surface information by using microscope illumination, and a laser scattering type optical system (D ) for detecting scattered laser light from the semiconductor wafer by using laser light to detect the surface of the semiconductor wafer ( ) in the form of a piece of second surface information. The analyzer (AN) detects a plurality of pieces of defect information from the piece of first surface information and the piece of second surface information to categorize the plurality of pieces of defect information into three modes: a first mode containing pieces of defect information represented only in the piece of first surface information, a second mode containing pieces of defect information represented only in the piece of second surface information, and a third mode containing pieces of defect information represented in both the piece of first surface information and the piece of second surface information. The inspection apparatus can easily distinguish the types of foreign matter and defects from each other.

Inspection apparatus for foreign matter and pattern defect

An inspection apparatus for foreign matter and pattern defects includes an optical portion (D) and an analyzer (AN). The optical portion (D) includes a microscope illumination optical system (D,) for detecting the surface of a semiconductor wafer (,) in the form of a piece of first surface information by using microscope illumination, and a laser scattering type optical system (D,) for detecting scattered laser light from the semiconductor wafer by using laser light to detect the surface of the semiconductor wafer (,) in the form of a piece of second surface information. The analyzer (AN) detects a plurality of pieces of defect information from the piece of first surface information and the piece of second surface information to categorize the plurality of pieces of defect information into three modes: a first mode containing pieces of defect information represented only in the piece of first surface information, a second mode containing pieces of defect information represented only in the piece of second surface information, and a third mode containing pieces of defect information represented in both the piece of first surface information and the piece of second surface information. The inspection apparatus can easily distinguish the types of foreign matter and defects from each other.

The alignment method allows a constant decision of an alignment point even with an indistinct outline of an alignment mark. An operator moves a chip (,) so that the whole or parts of an alignment mark (,) (including at least angles D,A,B,and A,B,C,) is included within a lens view field (,), and then decides an alignment point (AP,). More specifically, the operator reads angles which are specified to obtain bisectors, from a defect inspection apparatus; obtains respective bisectors of the angles; and decides the intersection thereof to be the alignment point (AP,). Then, a stage drive required to superimpose the alignment point (AP,) on the center (O) is calculated on the basis of the shift amount between the position of the alignment point (AP,) and the center (O) of a target scope (,) displayed at the lens view field (,). The chip (,) is then moved by the stage drive.

The invention is a pattern defect inspection system and method for improving the inspection speed, simplifying the system, and enlarging the inspection object, in which a correlation circuit (24) selects from a plurality of reference images in reference image storing means (22) one having the highest correlation with a detection image in detection image storing means (23) and inputs it to a difference circuit (25); the difference circuit (25) forms a difference image based on a reference image from the correlation circuit (24) and a detection image from the detection image storing means (23); a defect decision circuit (26) decides the position and size of a defect in a wafer under test 41, based on the difference image from the difference circuit (25); and the result is inputted to defect information processing means (27) to output as a defect information.

System and method for inspecting pattern defect

An ordinary user can easily learn a step at which a problem occurs during semiconductor manufacturing processes and improve the yield of manufacturing products and the quality of the products. At a certain in-line inspection step, a CPU (3) stores data signals (V1) taken by an inspection apparatus (1) into a memory (2), and reads a result (V6) obtained at a precedent step and stores the same in the memory (2). The CPU (3) reads stored data signals (V2) from the memory (2), performs comparison or referral on data about defects which are detected at a current step and the result (V6) regarding the precedent step, and generates a defect data analysis processing result signal (V5) regarding the current step. The result (V5) consists of disappeared defect data, common defect data, new defect data to which a label of a current step number is assigned, and reappeared defect data. The CPU (3) performs the processing above for each in-line inspection step, edits resultant data, and generates histogram data which provide the number of detected defects and the number of disappeared defects for each step.

Inspection data analyzing apparatus for in-line inspection with enhanced

A spatial frequency filter used in a pattern defect detection device, including a pattern which includes a black spot having a diameter expanded by a controlled amount in comparison with the diameter of a black spot on a photosensitive plate obtained by exposure by diffracted light from a pattern on a model specimen.

Method of manufacturing a spatial frequency filter for use in a pattern

A spatial frequency filter used in a pattern defect detection device, including a pattern which includes a black spot having a diameter expanded by a controlled amount in comparison with the diameter of a black spot on a photosensitive plate obtained by exposure by diffracted light from a pattern on a model specimen

Pattern defect detection device and a spatial frequency filter used

An inspection device for detecting defects in a periodic pattern on a semiconductor wafer includes a laser oscillator. In the exposure process, light emitted from the laser oscillator is divided into a subject beam and a reference beam. The subject beam is guided to a semiconductor wafer having a periodic pattern thereon by mirrors and a beam expander. The light scattered from the specimen is collected by a lens on a photographic plate. The reference beam is guided to the photographic plate via a second beam expander and another mirror. The intensity of the reference beam is adjusted to a level at which the reference beams interferes on the photographic plate with the light scattered from defects in the periodic pattern and collected by the lens. Thus, a hologram of the defects in the pattern is recorded on the photographic plate. After development, the photographic plate is returned to its original position and used to form a holographic image of the defects with a transmitted regeneration light beam.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yoko Miyazaki