Hitachi, Ltd.

Yuko Iwabuchi

Mitsugu Sato

Hideo Todokoro

Yutaka Kaneko

Hiroyuki Shinada

Yasutsugu Usami

Atsuko Takafuji

Mikio Ichihashi

Satoru Fukuhara

Hiroshi Toyama

Katsuya Sugiyama

Hiroyoshi Mori

Yoichi Ose

The inspection apparatus disclosed generates an electron beam, an acceleration electrode accelerates the electron beam, a convergence lens converges the electron beam, an electron beam deflector scans the beam over a sample, an objective lens converges the electron beam on the sample, a detector located between the sample and the objective lens detects charged particles emitted from the sample, a power supply applies a retarding voltage to the sample for decelerating the electron beam to the sample, an electrode is disposed between the objective lens and the sample, and a voltage is generated between the sample and the electrode by said electrode, the voltage being determined depending on the sample. The apparatus solves problems encountered in conventional inspection systems.

Method and an apparatus of an inspection system using an electron beam

Problems encountered in the conventional inspection method and the conventional apparatus adopting the method are solved by the present invention using an electron beam by providing a novel inspection method and an inspection apparatus adopting the novel method which are capable of increasing the speed to scan a specimen such as a semiconductor wafer. The inspection novel method provided by the present invention comprises the steps of: generating an electron beam; converging the generated electron beam on a specimen by using an objective lens; scanning the specimen by using the converged electron beam; continuously moving the specimen during scanning; detecting charged particles emanating from the specimen at a location between the specimen and the objective lens and converting the detected charged particles into an electrical signal; storing picture information conveyed by the electrical signal; comparing a picture with another by using the stored picture information; and detecting a defect of the specimen.

Method and apparatus of an inspection system using an electron beam

A charged particle beam irradiator makes it possible to observe an image at a high resolution and preferable contrast while reserving an operating distance of a sample or an area for the installation of a sample stage. The charged particle beam irradiator scans charged particle beams emitted by a charged particle source on a sample and obtains a scanned image of said sample based on charged particles obtained as a result of said scanning and is equipped with an electromagnetic lens having a magnetic pole provided between said sample and said charged particle source and at least a pair of magnetic poles provided under said sample and configured to generate a magnetic field there between. This configuration makes it possible to observe an image at a high resolution and preferable contrast while reserving an operating distance of the sample throughout a wide range of acceleration voltage.

Charged particle beam emitting device

A secondary electron signal obtained from a specimen when the specimen is scanned with an electron beam is detected by a detector and a specimen image is displayed on a first display screen area of an image display unit on the basis of the detected signal. The specimen image is stored, as an image for observation position designation, in a storage unit together with a position of the image. A plurality of images at different positions on the specimen may be used as the image to be stored. One of the stored images is selected and read and displayed on a second display screen area. When a part of interest on the displayed image for observation position designation is selected, the specimen is horizontally moved so that a position of the part of interest may be positioned at the center of the first display screen area and an enlarged image of the part of interest may be displayed on the first display screen area. This facilitates view field search outside a view field range.

Scanning electron microscope

An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection method using an electron beam and an inspection apparatus therefor, which are capable of enhancing the resolution, improving the inspection speed and reliability, and realizing miniaturization the apparatus. To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an inspection method using an electron beam, including the steps of; applying a voltage on a sample via a sample stage; converging an electron beam on the sample; scanning the sample with the converged electron beam and simultaneously, continuously moving the sample stage; detecting charged particles generated from the sample; and detecting a defect on the sample on the basis of the detected charged particles; wherein a distance between the sample and the shield frame is determined on the basis of a critical discharge between the sample stage and the shield frame; coils of at least hexapoles for correcting the shape of an electron beam are provided; the electron beam is deflected for blanking during movement of the sample with the crossover of the electron beam taken as a fulcrum of blanking; or the magnitude of the voltage applied to the sample may be determined depending on the kind of sample.

Method and apparatus for inspecting patterns of a semiconductor device with an electron beam

Problems encountered in the conventional inspection method and the conventional apparatus adopting the method are solved by the present invention using an electron beam by providing a novel inspection method and an inspection apparatus adopting the novel method which are capable of increasing the speed to scan a specimen such as a semiconductor wafer. The novel inspection method provided by the present invention comprises the steps of: generating an electron beam; converging the generated electron beam on a specimen by using an objective lens; scanning the specimen by using the converged electron beam; continuously moving the specimen during scanning; detecting charged particles emanating from the specimen at a location between the specimen and the objective lens and converting the detected charged particles into an electrical signal; storing picture information conveyed by the electrical signal; comparing a picture with another by using the stored picture information; and detecting a defect of the specimen.

The device of the present invention enables high resolution observation even when a sample is tilted. A deflecting electrode device for generating an electric field having a component in the direction perpendicular to the center axis (optical axis) of an objective lens is provided between the objective lens and the sample. A voltage applied to the deflecting electrode device is controlled in accordance with the tilting of a sample stage. A lateral electric field component generated on the optical axis when the sample stage is tilted is corrected by a deflected electric field generated by the deflecting electrode device. This is effective to suppress generation of astigmatism, and to allows effective arrival of an secondary electron at a secondary electron detector disposed at a position nearer the electron source side than the objective lens.

Scanning electron microscope and its analogous device

A device enables high resolution observation even when a sample is tiled. A deflecting electrode device for generating an electric field having a component in the direction perpendicular to the center axis (optical axis) of an objective lens is provided between the objective lens and the sample. A voltage applied to the deflecting electrode device is controlled in accordance with the tilting of a sample stage. A lateral electric field component generated on the optical axis when the sample stage is tiled is corrected by a deflected electric field generated by the deflecting electrode device. This is effective to suppress generation of astigmatism, and to allows effective arrival of an secondary electron at a secondary electron detector disposed at a position nearer the electron source side than the objective lens.

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Mito, Japan

Yuko Iwabuchi