US 2009/0212211 A1 · Electron Microscope System and Method for Evaluating Film Thickness Reduction of Resist Patterns

Abstract

The invention provides a system for achieving detection and measurement of film thickness reduction of a resist pattern with high throughput which can be applied to part of in-line process management. By taking into consideration the fact that film thickness reduction of the resist pattern leads to some surface roughness of the upper surface of the resist, a film thickness reduction index value is calculated by quantifying the degree of roughness of the part corresponding to the upper surface of the resist on an electron microscope image of the resist pattern which has been used in the conventional line width measurement. The amount of film thickness reduction of the resist pattern is estimated by applying the calculated index value to a database previously made for relating a film thickness reduction index value to an amount of film thickness reduction of the resist pattern.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An electron microscope system, comprising:

electron beam image obtaining means for obtaining an image of a specimen having a resist pattern formed on a surface thereof using a scanning electron microscope;
quantifying means for quantifying a feature of variations in brightness of the image at a desired area of the resist pattern by processing the obtained image;
index value calculating means for calculating an index value for relating the feature of variations in brightness of the image quantified by the quantifying means to an amount of reduction from a reference value of a film thickness of the resist pattern;
and
display means for displaying information about the index value calculated by the index value calculating means on a screen.

2 more elements

An electron microscope system, comprising:

electron beam image obtaining means for obtaining an image of a specimen having a resist pattern formed on a surface thereof using a scanning electron microscope;
quantifying means for quantifying a feature of variations in brightness of the image at a desired area of the resist pattern by processing the obtained image;
index value calculating means for calculating an index value for relating the feature of variations in brightness of the image quantified by the quantifying means to an amount of reduction from a reference value of a film thickness of the resist pattern;
estimation means for estimating the amount of reduction from the reference value of the film thickness of the resist pattern using the index value calculated by the index value calculating means;
and
display means for displaying information about the amount of reduction from the reference value of the film thickness of the resist pattern calculated by the estimation means on a screen.

3 more elements

A method for evaluating film thickness reduction of a resist pattern using an electron microscope system, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining an image of a specimen having a resist pattern formed on a surface thereof using a scanning electron microscope;
quantifying a feature of variations in brightness of the image at a desired area of the resist pattern by processing the obtained image;
calculating an index value for relating the feature of variations in brightness of the image quantified to an amount of reduction from a reference value of a film thickness of the resist pattern;
estimating the amount of reduction from the reference value of the film thickness of the resist pattern using the calculated index value;
and
displaying information about the amount of reduction from the reference value of the film thickness of the resist pattern estimated on a screen.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electron Microscope System and Method for Evaluating Film Thickness Reduction of Resist Patterns

Life of this patent

Electron Microscope System and Method for Evaluating Film Thickness Reduction of Resist Patterns

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22