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US 12,188,885 B2Granted
Evaluation device
AssigneeKioxia Corporation
InventorsTakehiro Nakai, Yumiko Yamashita, Ippei Kamiyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An evaluation device includes an X-ray diffraction measuring device configured to acquire a first X-ray locking curve having a first main peak and a first sub-peak partially overlapping the first main peak by measuring an X-ray locking curve of a first portion of a sample having a crystalline material. The evaluation device includes an analysis device configured to separate the first sub-peak from the first main peak, perform first evaluation of a crystal defects or distortion of the sample based on a peak position, peak intensity, or a half width of the separated first sub-peak, and output the first evaluation.
Claims12
An evaluation device comprising:
- an X-ray diffraction measuring device including:
- a sample stage on which a sample having a first portion having a crystalline material is mounted, the first portion of the sample including:
- a semiconductor portion formed into a trapezoidal cross section and having the crystalline material;
- an insulating film formed around the semiconductor portion;
- a first gate electrode provided in the insulating film at one side of the semiconductor portion to be distant from an upper surface of the semiconductor portion with a distance;
- and
- a second gate electrode provided in the insulating film at the other side of the semiconductor portion to be distant from the upper surface of the semiconductor portion with the distance;
- a motor configured to drive the sample stage;
- an X-ray source configured to irradiate the first portion of the sample on the sample stage with an X-ray;
- and
- an X-ray detection camera including two-dimensionally-arranged detection elements to each detect a diffracted X-ray generated as a result of irradiation of the first portion of the sample and configured to output a contrast image based on the diffracted X-ray detected pixel by pixel through the two-dimensionally-arranged detection elements;
- a controller configured to control the X-ray diffraction measuring device to acquire a first X-ray rocking curve having a first main peak and a first sub-peak partially overlapped with the first main peak by performing a first X-ray rocking curve measurement on the first portion of the sample;
- and
- an analysis device comprising at least one processor with a memory comprising a program, that when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform:
- analyze the contrast image to determine whether a shape of the semiconductor portion in the first portion of the sample in a plan view corresponds to one of a line shape, a cross shape or a T shape and to standardize a degree of shading of the contrast image;
- perform a separation process on data corresponding to the first X-ray rocking curve to separate the first sub-peak from the first main peak;
- perform a first evaluation process on the separated first sub-peak to generate first evaluation formation of a crystal defect or distortion of the first portion of the sample based on a peak position, a peak intensity, and a half width of the separated first sub-peak, the first evaluation information including:
- (i) a crystallite size of the crystal defect or distortion based on an inverse relationship between the half width and the crystallite size;
- and (ii) a defect rate of the crystal defect or distortion based on the determined shape of the semiconductor portion in the first portion, the standardized degree of shading of the contrast image, and the peak position, the peak intensity and the half width of the separated first sub-peak;
- and
- output the first evaluation information of the crystal defect or distortion of the first portion of the sample.
18 more elements
A method, comprising:
- acquiring a first X-ray rocking curve, associated with a first portion of a sample having a crystalline material, that has a first main peak and a first sub-peak partially overlapped with the first main peak, wherein the first portion of the sample includes:
- a semiconductor portion formed into a trapezoidal cross section and having the crystalline material;
- an insulating film formed around the semiconductor portion;
- a first gate electrode provided in the insulating film at one side of the semiconductor portion to be distant from an upper surface of the semiconductor portion with a distance;
- and
- a second gate electrode provided in the insulating film at the other side of the semiconductor portion to be distant from the upper surface of the semiconductor portion with the distance;
- analyzing a contrast image to determine whether a shape of the semiconductor portion in the first portion of the sample in a plan view corresponds to one of a line shape, a cross shape or a T shape and to standardize a degree of shading of the contrast image;
- performing a separation process on data corresponding to the first X-ray rocking curve to separating the first sub-peak from the first main peak;
- performing a first evaluation process on the separated first sub-peak to generate first evaluation information of a crystal defect or distortion of the first portion based on a peak position, a peak intensity, and a half width of the separated first, sub-peak, the first evaluation information including:
- (i) a crystallite size of the crystal defect or distortion based on an inverse relationship between the half width and the crystallite size;
- and (ii) a defect rate of the crystal defect or distortion based on the determined shape of the semiconductor portion in the first portion, the standardized degree of shading of the contrast image, and the peak position, the peak intensity and the half width of the separated first sub-peak;
- and
- outputting the first evaluation information of the crystal defect or distortion of the first portion of the sample.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.