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:
Jan. 15, 2013
Filed:
Feb. 09, 2007
Wataru Nagatomo, Yokohama, JP;
Atsushi Miyamoto, Yokohama, JP;
Hidetoshi Morokuma, Hitachinaka, JP;
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A method is provided for estimating a cross-sectional shape or for monitoring manufacturing process parameters of a semiconductor device pattern to be measured. In this method, in order to enable SEM-based management of the cross-sectional shape or manufacturing process parameters of the pattern to be measured, the association between the cross-sectional shape or process parameters of the pattern and SEM image characteristic quantities effective for estimating the cross-sectional shape or process parameters of the pattern, is saved as learning data, and then the image characteristic quantities that have been calculated from a SEM image of the pattern are collated with the learning data to estimate the cross-sectional shape or to monitor process parameters of the pattern. Estimation with high accuracy and reliability is achievable by calculating all or part of three kinds of reliability (reliability of the image characteristic quantities, reliability of estimation engines, and reliability of estimating results) based on the distribution of the image characteristic quantities and judging from the calculated reliability whether additional learning of the learning data is necessary, or selecting and adjusting image characteristic quantities and estimation engine based on the reliability.