US 12,500,061 B2Granted

Observation system, observation method, and program

AssigneeHitachi High-Tech Corporation

InventorsHiroaki Kasai, Kenji Yasui, Mayuka Osaki, Maki Kimura, Makoto Suzuki

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The invention provides an observation system capable of observing a formation position of a target shape that cannot be directly irradiated with an electron beam. The observation system includes an electron microscope and a computer. The electron microscope is configured to irradiate, with an electron beam, a first surface position on a specimen, which is different from a formation position of a target shape on the specimen, detect predetermined electrons that are scattered in the specimen from the first surface position and that escape from the formation position of the target shape to an outside of the specimen, and output the predetermined electrons as a detection signal. The computer is configured to output one or more values related to the target shape based on the detection signal.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An observation system comprising:

an electron microscope;
and
a computer, wherein
the electron microscope is configured to irradiate, with electrons, a first surface position on a specimen, which is different from a formation position of a target shape on the specimen, detect, by a detector, predetermined electrons that are scattered in the specimen from the first surface position and that escape from the formation position of the target shape to an outside of the specimen, and output the predetermined electrons as a detection signal, and
the computer comprising one or more memory devices having a program stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
output one or more values related to the target shape based on the detection signal, from the detector,
output one or more values related to a shape change in the target shape with respect to a predetermined reference,
obtain in advance the number of electrons escaping from the formation position of the target shape while changing a dimension of the target shape, set the obtained number of electrons as a luminance, and obtain, as a sensitivity, a change in the luminance associated with the change in the dimension of the target shape, and
output the one or more values related to the shape change in the target shape based on the detection signal output from the electron microscope and the sensitivity.

6 more elements

An observation method for observing a specimen based on a detection signal output from an electron microscope, the observation method comprising:

irradiating, by the electron microscope, with electrons, a first surface position on a specimen, which is different from a formation position of a target shape on the specimen;
detecting, by the electron microscope, predetermined electrons that are scattered in the specimen from the first surface position and that escape from the formation position of the target shape to an outside of the specimen;
and
outputting, by one or more processors that are configured to execute a program stored on one or more memory device on a computer, one or more values related to a shape change in the target shape based on the detection signal based on the detected predetermined electrons;
wherein
the one or more processors acquires the number of electrons escaping from the formation position of the target shape while changing a dimension of the target shape, sets the obtained number of electrons as luminance, and obtains as a sensitivity, a change in luminance associated with the change in the dimensions of the target shape and outputs one or more values related to the shape change in the target shaped based on the detection signal output from the electron microscope and the sensitivity.

3 more elements

A program storable in a non-transitory memory comprising instructions for causing one or more processors to execute a process of observing a specimen using a detection signal output from an electron microscope, the program causing the one or more processors to execute

a first process of irradiating, with electrons, a first surface position on the specimen, which is different from a formation position of a target shape of the specimen, while changing a dimension of the target shape, and obtaining a change in the number of electrons escaping from the formation position of the target shape to an outside of the specimen, wherein
the first process includes a process of causing the one or more processors to superimpose an electron scattering range and the target shape,
a second process of obtaining a sensitivity based on the change in the dimension of the target shape and the change in the number of electrons,
a third process of outputting a value related to a shape change in the target shape based on the detection signal and the sensitivity.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/151,530Filed 9 Jan 2023
Priority: JP 2022-00935525 Jan 2022
Published: US 2023/0238210 A127 Jul 2023
Granted: 16 Dec 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H01J 37/222
Optical , image processing or photographic arrangements associated with the tube: image processing arrangements associated with the tube
H01J 37/28
Electron or ion microscopes; Electron or ion diffraction tubes: with scanning beams
H01J 2237/226
Treatment of data: image reconstruction
H01J 2237/24495
Detection characterized by the detecting means: signal processing, e.g. mixing of two or more signals