Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Yuya Toyoshima

Tadashi Otaka

Yasutsugu Usami

Yasuhiro Mitsui

Isao Kawata

Ryo Nakagaki

Kenji Watanabe

Nobuyuki Iriki

Maki Tanaka

Chie Shishido

Masakazu Takahashi

Chle Shishido

In a method of measuring a three dimensional shape of an arbitrary fine pattern on a semiconductor device, an optical measurement system carries out a measurement to obtain cross-section information, and an electron microscope obtains an electron beam image of the arbitrary fine pattern. Plane information and cross-section information obtained from the electron beam image of the arbitrary fine pattern are combined to measure the three dimensional shape of the arbitrary fine pattern.

Method for measuring three dimensional shape of a fine pattern

A method and apparatus for efficiently executing two types of measurements with an optical measuring device and a scanning electron microscope are provided. For example, the method and apparatus may execute the following steps: calculating an average of the dimensional values of a plurality of scanned feature objects; and calculating an offset of a dimensional value on the basis of a difference between the calculated average value and the dimensional value of the feature object obtained when the light is irradiated. The offset between measurement values between the optical measuring device and the scanning electron microscope can be determined precisely.

Sample dimension-measuring method and charged particle beam apparatus

A test pattern formed in a scribe line area of a wafer is irradiated with a light beam to measure the width thereof; the test pattern is irradiated with an electron beam so as to measure the width thereof; an amount of change in the width of the test pattern is calculated; a dummy pattern having the same width as that of a semiconductor device of the wafer is irradiated with an electron beam to measure the width thereof; and the width of a pattern is estimated by the use of the calculated amount of width change so as to determine the shape of the pattern. Thus, a shape measuring system and method capable of determining the shape of a micropattern in a semiconductor device without changing the dimensions of the micropattern can be provided.

Micropattern shape measuring system and method

A light beam is emitted to a test pattern place formed in the scribe area on the wafer for height measurement, an electron beam is emitted to the test pattern place for width and contrast measurement and their correlations are stored. The three-dimensional profile of a pattern in a semiconductor device on the wafer is determined by irradiating the pattern with an electron beam to measure the width and contrast and estimating the height of the pattern by inferring from a correlation corresponding to the measured width and contrast. Thus, a three-dimensional profile measuring system and method capable of measuring the three-dimensional profile of a micropattern in a semiconductor device without cutting the wafer are provided.

Three-dimensional micropattern profile measuring system and method

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Tokyo, Japan

Yuya Toyoshima