METHOD AND DEVICE USING PHOTOELECTRONS FOR IN-SITU BEAM POWER AND STABILITY MONITORING IN EUV SYSTEMS
Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number:
20140158894
The invention presented is a real time EUV illumination metrology device that includes at least one pair of electrodes mounted on an insulator substrate with an aperture defined by the at least one pair of electrodes and/or the insulator substrate. The electrodes of each of the pairs of electrodes are separated by an arc suppression distance. In one alternate embodiment, the metrology device includes four pairs of electrodes. The device may also include a voltage biasing component to…
Method And Apparatus For High Speed Acquisition Of Moving Images Using Pulsed Illumination
Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number:
20140158864
A method of operating an image sensor with a continuously moving object is described. In this method, a timed delay integration mode (TDI-mode) operation can be performed during an extended-time illumination pulse. During this TDI-mode operation, charges stored by pixels of the image sensor are shifted only in a first direction, and track the image motion. Notably, a split-readout operation is performed only during non-illumination. During this split-readout operation, first charges…
Method and System for Mixed Mode Wafer Inspection
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140153814
Mixed-mode includes receiving inspection results including one or more images of a selected region of the wafer, the one or more images include one or more wafer die including a set of repeating blocks, the set of repeating blocks a set of repeating cells. In addition, mixed-mode inspection includes adjusting a pixel size of the one or more images to map each cell, block and die to an integer number of pixels. Further, mixed-mode inspection includes comparing a first wafer die to a…
Semiconductor Inspection And Metrology System Using Laser Pulse Multiplier
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140153596
A pulse multiplier includes a beam splitter and one or more mirrors. The beam splitter receives a series of input laser pulses and directs part of the energy of each pulse into a ring cavity. After circulating around the ring cavity, part of the pulse energy leaves the ring cavity through the beam splitter and part of the energy is recirculated. By selecting the ring cavity optical path length, the repetition rate of an output series of laser pulses can be made to be a multiple of the…
System and Method for Detecting Cracks in a Wafer
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140152976
A wafer crack detection system includes a rotational wafer stage assembly configured to secure a wafer and selectively rotate the wafer, a light source positioned on a first side of the wafer and configured to direct a light beam through the wafer, a sensor positioned on a second side of the wafer and configured to monitor one or more characteristics of light transmitted through the wafer as the wafer is rotated, and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and a portion of the…
METHODS OF USING POLISHED SILICON WAFER STRIPS FOR EUV HOMOGENIZER
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140151580
The present invention is a light homogenizer or light tunnel with highly reflective sides that enable the focusing of EUV illumination. The sides of the homogenizer are cut from a highly polished silicon wafer. The wafer is coated with a reflective coating before the strips are cut from the wafer. The invention also includes a method for flattening the strips and applying a backing to the strips enabling easier manipulation of the strips during assembly and use.
TILT-IMAGING SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140151552
One embodiment relates to a tilt-imaging scanning electron microscope apparatus. The apparatus includes an electron gun, first and second deflectors, an objective electron lens, and a secondary electron detector. The first deflector deflects the electron beam away from the optical axis, and the second deflector deflects the electron beam back towards the optical axis. The objective lens focuses the electron beam onto a spot on a surface of a target substrate, wherein the electron beam…
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MEASUREMENT OF RELATIVE CRITICAL DIMENSIONS
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140151551
One embodiment relates to a method of measuring a relative critical dimension (RCD) during electron beam inspection of a target substrate. A reference image is obtained. A region of interest is defined in the reference image. A target image is obtained using an electron beam imaging apparatus. The target and reference images are aligned, and the region of interest is located in the target image. Measurement is then made of the RCD within the region of interest in the target image.…
Multi-Spectral Defect Inspection for 3D Wafers
Granted: May 22, 2014
Application Number:
20140139822
Multi-spectral defect inspection for 3D wafers is provided. One system configured to detect defects in one or more structures formed on a wafer includes an illumination subsystem configured to direct light in discrete spectral bands to the one or more structures formed on the wafer. At least some of the discrete spectral bands are in the near infrared (NIR) wavelength range. Each of the discrete spectral bands has a bandpass that is less than 100 nm. The system also includes a detection…
Method and System for Providing a Target Design Displaying High Sensitivity to Scanner Focus Change
Granted: May 22, 2014
Application Number:
20140141536
A segmented mask includes a set of cell structures, wherein each cell structure includes a set of features having an unresolvable segmentation pitch along a first direction, wherein the unresolvable segmentation pitch along the first direction is smaller than the illumination of the lithography printing tool, wherein the plurality of cell structures have a pitch along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the unresolvable segmentation pitch is suitable for…
METROLOGY TARGET CHARACTERIZATION
Granted: May 15, 2014
Application Number:
20140136137
Methods and systems are provided, which identify specified metrology target abnormalities using selected metrics and classify the identified target abnormalities geometrically to link them to corresponding sources of error. Identification may be carried out by deriving target signals such as kernels from specified regions of interest (ROIs) from corresponding targets on a wafer, calculating the metrics from the target signals using respective functions and analyzing the metrics to…
Unbiased Wafer Defect Samples
Granted: May 15, 2014
Application Number:
20140133737
Methods and systems for generating unbiased wafer defect samples are provided. One method includes selecting the defects detected by each of multiple scans performed on a wafer that have the most diversity in one or more defect attributes such that a diverse set of defects are selected across each scan. In addition, the method may include selecting the defects such that any defect that is selected and is common to two or more of the scans is not selected twice and any defects that are…
EXTERNAL BEAM DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR LASER DARK-FIELD ILLUMINATION IN A CATADIOPTRIC OPTICAL SYSTEM
Granted: May 15, 2014
Application Number:
20140133158
A catadioptric objective configured to inspect a specimen is provided. The catadioptric objective includes a Mangin element having one surface at a first axial location and an extension element positioned together with the Mangin element. The extension element provides a second surface at a second axial location. Certain light energy reflected from the specimen passes to the second surface of the extension element, the Mangin element, and through a plurality of lenses. An aspheric…
Phase Grating For Mask Inspection System
Granted: May 15, 2014
Application Number:
20140131586
Spectral Purity Filters, or SPFs, are disclosed. Such SPFs are designed to block out the 1030 nm drive laser and other undesired out of band light in a EUV mask inspection system. Different phase grating configurations for near normal incidence and grazing incidence are provided in the present disclosure and are configured specifically for EUV mask inspection.
Film Thickness, Refractive Index, and Extinction Coefficient Determination for Film Curve Creation and Defect Sizing in Real Time
Granted: May 8, 2014
Application Number:
20140125978
The present disclosure is directed to a method for inspecting a wafer, the wafer including a film deposited on a surface of the wafer. The film may have a thickness that varies over the surface of the wafer. The method includes the step of measuring the thickness, refractive index, and extinction coefficient of the film across the surface of the wafer. With this data a film curve is created in real time. The method also includes the step of determining a size of a defect on the surface…
AUTOMATED INTERFACE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR USE IN SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER HANDLING SYSTEMS
Granted: May 1, 2014
Application Number:
20140122654
Aspects of the present disclosure describe a smart docking station. The smart docking station may contain a data transfer and an electrical connection which allow a sensor wafer to be charged and to upload and download data. The smart docking station may be located at an off-track storage position above a tool. This location enables an automated materials handling system (AMHS) to retrieve the sensor wafer and deliver it to a tool requiring analysis. The sensor wafer may be stored in a…
Sample Inspection System Detector
Granted: May 1, 2014
Application Number:
20140118730
Methods and systems for enhancing the dynamic range of a high sensitivity inspection system are presented. The dynamic range of a high sensitivity inspection system is increased by directing a portion of the light collected from each pixel of the wafer inspection area toward an array of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) operating in Geiger mode and directing another portion of the light collected from each pixel of the wafer inspection area toward another array of photodetectors having a…
Illumination Energy Management in Surface Inspection
Granted: May 1, 2014
Application Number:
20140118729
The disclosure is directed to a system and method of managing illumination energy applied to illuminated portions of a scanned wafer to mitigate illumination-induced damage without unnecessarily compromising SNR of an inspection system. The wafer may be rotated at a selected spin frequency for scanning wafer defects utilizing the inspection system. Illumination energy may be varied over at least one scanned region of the wafer as a function of radial distance of an illuminated portion…
DEEP ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT SOURCES FOR WAFER AND RETICLE INSPECTION SYSTEMS
Granted: April 24, 2014
Application Number:
20140111799
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for generating a sub-208 nm laser. A laser apparatus includes one or more seed radiation sources for generating a first radiation beam having a first fundamental wavelength on a first optical path and a second radiation beam having a second fundamental wavelength on a second optical path, a first amplifier for amplifying the first radiation beam, a second amplifier for amplifying the second radiation beam, and a wavelength conversion module comprising…
Systems, Methods and Metrics for Wafer High Order Shape Characterization and Wafer Classification Using Wafer Dimensional Geometry Tool
Granted: April 24, 2014
Application Number:
20140114597
Systems and methods for improving results of wafer higher order shape (HOS) characterization and wafer classification are disclosed. The systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure are based on localized shapes. A wafer map is partitioned into a plurality of measurement sites to improve the completeness of wafer shape representation. Various site based HOS metric values may be calculated for wafer characterization and/or classification purposes, and may also be utilized…
