USING REFLECTED AND TRANSMISSION MAPS TO DETECT RETICLE DEGRADATION
Granted: April 16, 2015
Application Number:
20150103351
An optical reticle inspection tool is used during an inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple reflected intensity values corresponding to light reflected from a plurality of sub-areas of each local area of the reticle. The optical reticle inspection tool is also used during the inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple transmitted intensity values corresponding to light transmitted through the sub-areas of each local area of the reticle. A…
ENHANCED DEFECT DETECTION IN ELECTRON BEAM INSPECTION AND REVIEW
Granted: April 2, 2015
Application Number:
20150090877
One embodiment relates to an electron beam apparatus for inspection and/or review. An electron source generates a primary electron beam, and an electron-optics system shapes and focuses said primary electron beam onto a sample held by a stage. A detection system detects signal-carrying electrons including secondary electrons and back-scattered electrons from said sample, and an image processing system processes data from said detection system. A host computer system that controls and…
Low Noise, High Stability, Deep Ultra-Violet, Continuous Wave Laser
Granted: March 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150071316
A laser for generating deep ultra-violet (DUV) continuous wave (CW) light includes a second-harmonic generator and a fourth-harmonic generator. The fourth-harmonic generator includes a plurality of mirrors as well as first and second non-linear optical (NLO) crystals. The first NLO crystal generates the light having the fourth harmonic wavelength, and is placed in operative relation to the plurality of mirrors. The second NLO crystal is placed in operative relation to the first NLO…
MULTI-MODEL METROLOGY
Granted: February 26, 2015
Application Number:
20150058813
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for characterizing a plurality of structures of interest on a semiconductor wafer. A plurality of models having varying combinations of floating and fixed critical parameters and corresponding simulated spectra is generated. Each model is generated to determine one or more critical parameters for unknown structures based on spectra collected from such unknown structures. It is determined which one of the models best correlates with each critical…
QUALIFYING PATTERNS FOR MICROLITHOGRAPHY
Granted: February 26, 2015
Application Number:
20150054940
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for qualifying a photolithographic reticle. A reticle inspection tool is used to acquire at least two images at different imaging configurations from each pattern area of the reticle. A reticle pattern is reconstructed based on each at least two images from each pattern area of the reticle. For each reconstructed reticle pattern, a lithographic process with two or more different process conditions is modeled on such reconstructed reticle pattern to…
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING FOCUS
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150042984
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for determining optimal focus for a photolithography system. A plurality of optical signals are acquired from a particular target located in a plurality of fields on a semiconductor wafer, and the fields were formed using different process parameters, including different focus values. A feature is extracted from the optical signals related to changes in focus. A symmetric curve is fitted to the extracted feature of the optical signals as a function of…
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PATTERNED WAFER CHARACTERIZATION
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150046121
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for characterizing a plurality of structures of interest on a semiconductor wafer. A plurality of spectra signals are measured from a particular structure of interest at a plurality of azimuth angles from one or more sensors of a metrology system. A difference spectrum is determined based on the spectra signals obtained for the azimuth angles. A quality indication of the particular structure of interest is determined and reported based on analyzing the…
DIFFERENTIAL METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR METROLOGY OF SEMICONDUCTOR TARGETS
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150046118
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for determining process or structure parameters for semiconductor structures. A plurality of optical signals is acquired from one or more targets located in a plurality of fields on a semiconductor wafer. The fields are associated with different process parameters for fabricating the one or more targets, and the acquired optical signals contain information regarding a parameter of interest (POI) for a top structure and information regarding one or more…
Front Quartersphere Scattered Light Analysis
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150042993
A surface inspection system, as well as related components and methods, are provided. The surface inspection system includes a beam source subsystem, a beam scanning subsystem, a workpiece movement subsystem, an optical collection and detection subsystem, and a processing subsystem. The optical collection and detection system features, in the front quartersphere, a light channel assembly for collecting light reflected from the surface of the workpiece, and a front collector and wing…
Front Quartersphere Scattered Light Analysis
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150042987
A surface inspection system, as well as related components and methods, are provided. The surface inspection system includes a beam source subsystem, a beam scanning subsystem, a workpiece movement subsystem, an optical collection and detection subsystem, and a processing subsystem. The optical collection and detection system features, in the front quartersphere, a light channel assembly for collecting light reflected from the surface of the workpiece, and a front collector and wing…
DIODE LASER BASED BROAD BAND LIGHT SOURCES FOR WAFER INSPECTION TOOLS
Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number:
20150042979
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for performing inspection or metrology of a semiconductor device. The apparatus includes a plurality of laser diode arrays that are configurable to provide an incident beam having different wavelength ranges. At least some of the laser diode arrays form two dimensional stacks that have different wavelength ranges from each other. The apparatus also includes optics for directing the incident beam towards the sample, a detector for generating an output…
Method and System for Controlling Convection within a Plasma Cell
Granted: February 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150034838
A plasma cell for controlling convection includes a transmission element configured to receive illumination from an illumination source in order to generate a plasma within a plasma generation region of the volume of gas. The plasma cell also includes a top flow control element disposed above the plasma generation, which includes an internal channel configured to direct a plume of the plasma upward, and a bottom flow control element disposed below the plasma generation region, which…
AUTO-FOCUS SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR DIE-TO-DIE INSPECTION
Granted: January 29, 2015
Application Number:
20150029499
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for detecting defects in a semiconductor sample having a plurality of identically designed areas. An inspection tool is used to construct an initial focus trajectory for a first swath of the sample. The inspection tool is then used to scan the first swath by following the initial focus trajectory for the first swath while collecting autofocus data. A z offset measurement vector for each identically designed area in the first swath is generated based on…
MONITORING CHANGES IN PHOTOMASK DEFECTIVITY
Granted: January 29, 2015
Application Number:
20150029498
A reticle that is within specifications is inspected so as to generate a baseline event indicating a location and a size value for each unusual reticle feature. After using the reticle in photolithography, the reticle is inspected so as to generate a current event indicating a location and a size value for each unusual reticle feature. An inspection report of candidate defects and their images is generated so that these candidate defects include a first subset of the current events and…
Image Processing Architecture
Granted: January 15, 2015
Application Number:
20150016710
An inspection system that receives image data corresponding to an image and processes the image data to produce a report corresponding to characteristics of the image. Interface cards receive the image data in a flow, where each interface card receives image data corresponding to a different portion of the image. Process nodes connect to the interface cards, and receive the image data from the interface cards. A host computer is connected to the process nodes, and job managers…
WAFER AND RETICLE INSPECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SELECTING ILLUMINATION PUPIL CONFIGURATIONS
Granted: January 15, 2015
Application Number:
20150015874
In an optical inspection tool, an illumination aperture is opened at each of a plurality of aperture positions of an illumination pupil area one at a time across the illumination pupil area. For each aperture opening position, an incident beam is directed towards the illumination pupil area so as to selectively pass a corresponding ray bundle of the illumination beam at a corresponding set of one or more incident angles towards the sample and an output beam, which is emitted from the…
CLBO Crystal Growth
Granted: January 8, 2015
Application Number:
20150007765
A solution-stirring top-seeded solution-growth method for forming CLBO of the type where water is added to a precursor mixture, where heavy water is substituted for the water.
System and Method for Defect Detection and Photoluminescence Measurement of a Sample
Granted: January 1, 2015
Application Number:
20150001421
Defect detection and photoluminescence measurement of a sample directing a beam of oblique-illumination wavelength light onto a portion of the sample, directing a beam of normal-illumination wavelength light for causing one or more photoluminescing defects of the sample to emit photoluminescent light onto a portion of the sample, collecting defect scattered radiation or photoluminescence radiation from the sample, separating the radiation from the sample into a first portion of radiation…
PROCESS CONDITION SENSING WAFER AND DATA ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Granted: January 1, 2015
Application Number:
20150006108
A measuring device incorporating a substrate with sensors that measure the processing conditions that a wafer may undergo during manufacturing. The substrate can be inserted into a processing chamber by a robot head and the measuring device can transmit the conditions in real time or store the conditions for subsequent analysis. Sensitive electronic components of the device can be distanced or isolated from the most deleterious processing conditions in order increase the accuracy,…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DATABASE-ASSISTED REQUALIFICATION RETICLE INSPECTION
Granted: January 1, 2015
Application Number:
20150005917
A method embodiment includes providing a reticle design data that specify a plurality of printable features that are formed on the wafer using the reticle and a plurality of nonprintable features that are not formed on the wafer using such reticle, wherein the reticle design data is usable to fabricate the reticle. A reduced design database is generated from the reticle design data and this reduced design database includes a description or map of the nonprintable features of the reticle,…
