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:
Mar. 17, 2015
Filed:
Feb. 14, 2014
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Jia-Rui Hu, Taichung, TW;
Kai-Hsiung Chen, Danshuei Township, TW;
Chih-Mihg Ke, Hsinchu, TW;
Hua-Tai Lin, Hsinchu, TW;
Tsai-Sheng Gau, HsinChu, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a method of systematic defect extraction. Primary and secondary areas are defined in a wafer layout. A plurality of defects is identified by a first wafer inspection for an outside-process-window wafer. Defects located in the secondary area are removed. Defects associated with non-critical semiconductor features are also removed via a grouping process. Sensitive regions are defined around defects associated with critical semiconductor features. A second inspection is then performed on the sensitive regions for an inside-process-window wafer, thereby identifying a plurality of potentially systematic defects. Thereafter, a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) process is performed to determine whether the defects in the sensitive regions of the inside-process-window wafer are true systematic defects.