US 12,165,837 B2 · System and method for scanning a sample using multi-beam inspection apparatus

Abstract

An improved system and method for inspection of a sample using a particle beam inspection apparatus, and more particularly, to systems and methods of scanning a sample with a plurality of charged particle beams. An improved method of scanning an area of a sample using N charged particle beams, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to two, and wherein the area of the sample comprises a plurality of scan sections of N consecutive scan lines, includes moving the sample in a first direction. The method also includes scanning, with a first charged particle beam of the N charged particle beams, first scan lines of at least some scan sections of the plurality of scan sections moving towards a probe spot of the first charged particle beam. The method further includes scanning, with a second charged particle beam of the N charged particle beams, second scan lines of at least some scan sections of the plurality of scan sections moving towards a probe spot of the second charged particle beam.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that is executable by one or more processors of a multi-beam tool to cause the multi-beam tool to perform a method to form an image of a sample, the method comprising:

generating a primary beam of charged particles;
splitting the primary beam into an array of beams;
rotating the array of beams, relative to the sample to be scanned, by a rotation angle determined based on a number of beams in a row of the array of beams;
projecting the array of beams to a surface of the sample to form an array of probe spots on the surface;
deflecting each beam of the array of beams to perform a raster scanning of a scan section by (i) moving the corresponding probe spot from a first side of the scan section to a second side of scan section to scan a scan line along a first direction and (ii) retracing the corresponding probe spot back to the first side of the scan section, wherein the scan line is longer than a pitch of the array of probe spots;
and
moving the sample along a second direction.

4 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions that is executable by one or more processors of a multi-beam tool, including a beam configuration system and a sample stage, to cause the multi-beam tool to perform a method comprising:

instructing the beam configuration system to:
rotate an array of charged-particle beams relative to a sample to be scanned by the multi-beam tool, by a rotation angle determined based on a number of beams in a row of the array of charged-particle beams,
project the array of beams to a surface of the sample to form an array of probe spots on the surface, and
deflect each beam of the array of beams to perform a raster scanning of a scan section by (i) moving the corresponding probe spot from a first side of the scan section to a second side of scan section to scan a scan line along a first direction and (ii) retracing the corresponding probe spot back to the first side of the scan section, wherein the scan line is longer than a pitch of the array of probe spots,
wherein the multi-beam tool generates a primary beam of charged particles and splits the primary beam into the array of charged-particle beams.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for scanning a sample using multi-beam inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

System and method for scanning a sample using multi-beam inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13