# US 12,222,199 B2 · Systems and methods for measurement of misregistration and amelioration thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,199 B2 - Document ID: US12222199B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/254,253 - Filed: 2020-11-05 - Published: 2022-09-29 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-05 - Assignees: KLA Corporation - Applicants: KLA Corporation - Inventors: Roie Volkovich; Nachshon Rothman; Yossi Simon; Anna Golotsvan; Vladimir Levinski; Nireekshan K. Reddy; Amnon Manassen; Daria Negri; Yuri Paskover - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222199B2 ## CPC - G01B 11/27: for testing the alignment of axes {(means for centering or aligning a light guide within a ferrule G02B6/3834)} - H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes} - H10P 72/50: for positioning, orientation or alignment - H10P 74/00: Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment of wafers, substrates or devices - G01B 2210/56: Measuring geometric parameters of semiconductor structures, e.g. profile, critical dimensions or trench depth - G03F 7/70633: {Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching} - H10P 74/20: characterised by the properties tested or measured, e.g. structural or electrical properties - H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects} - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) ## Abstract A system for use with a misregistration metrology tool (MMT), the system including a database including a plurality of process variation (PV) categories and a corresponding plurality of parameter sets and a process variation accommodation engine (PVAE) including a measurement site process variation category associator (MSPVCA) operative to associate a measurement site being measured by the MMT, at least partially based on an MMT output relating to the measurement site, with a measurement site process variation category (MSPVC), the MSPVC being one of the plurality of PV categories, a measurement site parameter set retriever (MSPSR) operative to retrieve a measurement site parameter set (MSPS) corresponding to the MSPVC and a measurement site parameter set communicator (MSPSC) operative to communicate the MSPS to the MMT. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a misregistration metrology tool (MMT); and a database including a plurality of process variation (PV) categories and a corresponding plurality of parameter sets; and a process variation accommodation engine (PVAE) comprising: a measurement site process variation category associator (MSPVCA) operative to associate a measurement site being measured by said MMT during runtime, at least partially based on an MMT output relating to said measurement site, with a measurement site process variation category (MSPVC), said MSPVC being one of said plurality of PV categories; a measurement site parameter set retriever (MSPSR) operative to retrieve a measurement site parameter set (MSPS) corresponding to said MSPVC, wherein said MSPS comprises analysis algorithm parameters, and wherein said analysis algorithm parameters comprise weighting rules that determine weights for said MSPS; and a measurement site parameter set communicator (MSPSC) operative to communicate said MSPS to said MMT; and wherein said MMT is configured to: measure said measurement site on a wafer based on said MSPS thereby generating misregistration measurement data; and analyze said misregistration measurement data based on said MSPS thereby generating at least one quality metric of said measurement site, wherein said quality metric indicates at least one misregistration value for different layers between which misregistration was measured at said measurement site. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of PV categories characterize at least one of: a thickness of at least one layer; a dielectric constant of at least one layer; a refractive index of at least one layer; a stress of at least one layer; a strain of at least one layer; or a surface roughness of said measurement site. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system according to claim 2, wherein said system reports a value for at least one of and/or alerts a user if a predetermined tolerance is exceeded by at least one of: said thickness of at least one layer; said dielectric constant of at least one layer; said refractive index of at least one layer; said stress of at least one layer; said strain of at least one layer; or said surface roughness of said measurement site. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said MMT output comprises a reflectance of said measurement site, a spectral dependency of a reflectance of said measurement site, or a location of said measurement site on said wafer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said MMT comprises an imaging-based MMT. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system according to claim 5, wherein said MMT output comprises a Linnik interferogram shape relating to said measurement site. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein said Linnik interferogram shape comprises at least one of: a Linnik interferogram amplitude; a Linnik interferogram center of mass; or a Linnik interferogram approximate symmetry. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The system according to claim 5, wherein said MMT output comprises a tool-induced-shift (TIS) value of said measurement site. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system according to claim 8, wherein said TIS value is an estimated TIS value, said estimated TIS value being based on an output signal generated by a single measurement of said measurement site and an estimation model. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The system according to claim 5, wherein said MMT output comprises a focus offset value of said measurement site. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system according to claim 10, wherein said focus offset value is a machine-learning focus value, said machine-learning focus value being generated by a machine-learning method. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said MMT comprises a scatterometry-based MMT. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system according to claim 12, wherein said MMT output comprises an arc position within an output signal generated by said scatterometry-based MMT. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said MSPS comprises values of one or more measurement parameters, and wherein said one or more measurement parameters comprises at least one of: a linear position of a wafer stage used in misregistration measurement; an azimuthal orientation of a wafer stage used in misregistration measurement; an elevation angular orientation of a wafer stage used in misregistration measurement; an axis along which misregistration is measured; a region of interest within said measurement site; a polarization of light used in misregistration measurement; at least one value of at least one wavelength of light used in misregistration measurement; a bandwidth of wavelengths of light used in misregistration measurement; an intensity of light used in misregistration measurement; a focal depth used in misregistration measurement; an apodizer used in misregistration measurement; an optics channel used in misregistration measurement; a numerical aperture used in misregistration measurement; a camera used in misregistration measurement; or a focus offset value used in misregistration measurement. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis algorithm parameters further comprise geometric corrections to account for tilt of structures in said wafer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein said PVAE communicates said MSPS to said MMT less than 5 s after said MMT output is provided to said PVAE. ### Claim 17 A system for measuring misregistration of a plurality of measurement sites on a semiconductor device wafer, the system comprising: a misregistration metrology tool (MMT) operative to provide an MMT output relating to a measurement site being measured thereby; a database including a plurality of process variation (PV) categories and a corresponding plurality of parameter sets; and a process variation accommodation engine (PVAE) comprising: a measurement site process variation category associator (MSPVCA) operative to associate said measurement site being measured by said MMT during runtime, at least partially based on said MMT output, with a measurement site process variation category (MSPVC), said MSPVC being one of said plurality of PV categories; a measurement site parameter set retriever (MSPSR) operative to retrieve a measurement site parameter set (MSPS) corresponding to said MSPVC, wherein said MSPS comprises analysis algorithm parameters, and wherein said analysis algorithm parameters comprise weighting rules that determine weights for said MSPS; and a measurement site parameter set communicator (MSPSC) operative to communicate said MSPS to said MMT; wherein said MMT is configured to: measure said measurement site on a wafer based on said MSPS thereby generating said MMT output in the form of misregistration measurement data; and analyze said misregistration measurement data based on said MSPS thereby generating at least one quality metric of said measurement site, wherein said quality metric indicates at least one misregistration value for different layers between which misregistration was measured at said measurement site. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system according to claim 17, and wherein said PVAE communicates said MSPS to said MMT less than 5 s after said MMT output is provided to said PVAE. ### Claim 19 A method for measuring misregistration of a plurality of measurement sites on a semiconductor device wafer, the method comprising: providing a plurality of process variation (PV) categories with a corresponding plurality of parameter sets; generating a misregistration metrology tool (MMT) output relating to a measurement site being measured by an MMT; associating said measurement site being measured by said MMT during runtime, at least partially based on said MMT output, with a measurement site process variation category (MSPVC), said MSPVC being one of said plurality of PV categories; retrieving a measurement site parameter set (MSPS) corresponding to said MSPVC, wherein said MSPS comprises analysis algorithm parameters, and wherein said analysis algorithm parameters comprise weighting rules that determine weights for said MSPS; communicating said MSPS to said MMT; and measuring said measurement site with said MMT based on said MSPS thereby generating a corresponding plurality of misregistration measurement data. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, further comprising using said MSPS in a generation of at least one quality metric of said measurement site, and wherein said generation of said at least one quality metric comprises: analyzing said misregistration measurement data, thereby generating said at least one quality metric; and wherein: said MSPS is used in at least one of: said measuring said measurement site; or said analyzing said misregistration measurement data. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, further comprising using said at least one quality metric in a fabrication process of a semiconductor device wafer. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, wherein said communicating said MSPS to said MMT comprises communicating said MSPS to said MMT less than 5 s after a provision of said MMT output to said PVAE.