The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 14, 2020
Filed:
Oct. 19, 2017
Kla-tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Boxue Chen, Austin, TX (US);
Andrei Veldman, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Alexander Kuznetsov, Austin, TX (US);
Andrei V. Shchegrov, Campbell, CA (US);
KLA-Tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and systems for evaluating the geometric characteristics of patterned structures are presented. More specifically, geometric structures generated by one or multiple patterning processes are measured by two or more metrology systems in accordance with a hybrid metrology methodology. A measurement result from one metrology system is communicated to at least one other metrology systems to increase the measurement performance of the receiving system. Similarly, a measurement result from the receiving metrology system is communicated back to the sending metrology system to increase the measurement performance of the sending system. In this manner, measurement results obtained from each metrology system are improved based on measurement results received from other cooperating metrology systems. In some examples, metrology capability is expanded to measure parameters of interest that were previously unmeasurable by each metrology system operating independently. In other examples, measurement sensitivity is improved and parameter correlation is reduced.