# US 2019/0378679 A1 · Pattern Measuring Method, Pattern Measuring Tool and Computer Readable Medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378679 A1 - Document ID: US20190378679A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/424,803 - Filed: 2019-05-29 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-06 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation - Applicants: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation - Inventors: Uki IKEDA; Shunsuke MIZUTANI; Makoto SUZUKI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378679A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/222: {Image processing arrangements associated with the tube} - H01J 37/20: Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support - H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} - H01J 2237/2814: Measurement of surface topography - H01J 2237/2815: Depth profile - H01J 2237/2817: Pattern inspection - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to a pattern measuring method to appropriately measure a height and a depth of a pattern having a high aspect ratio. The method includes measuring a width between a first pattern and another pattern formed on a wafer; calculating a value regarding an azimuth angle of a signal emitted from the wafer; and calculating height information from a portion between the first pattern and the other pattern to an upper portion of a pattern based on the measured width between the first pattern and the other pattern, the value regarding the azimuth angle, the value regarding an elevation angle, and relationship information thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pattern measuring method, comprising: receiving a signal obtained by irradiating a wafer with a beam using a pattern measuring tool; measuring a width between a first pattern and another pattern formed on the wafer and identifying a value corresponding to a signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern, based on reception of the signal; and calculating height information from a portion between the first pattern and the other pattern to an upper portion of a pattern based on the measured width between the first pattern and the other pattern and the value corresponding to the signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pattern measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the signal amount emitted from between the first pattern and the other pattern is measured based on the reception of the signal, and the height information is calculated based on a comparison between the measured signal amount and a reference signal amount. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The pattern measuring method according to claim 2, wherein a value ϕ corresponding to the signal amount is calculated based on ϕ=b/a a: the reference signal amount emitted from an upper portion of a pattern b: the measured signal amount. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pattern measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the height information is calculated based on H=L·sin θ/2 tan θ H: the height information L: the width between the first pattern and the other pattern θ: a value that changes according to a shape and a position of a detector ϕ: the value corresponding to the signal amount. ### Claim 5 A pattern measuring tool that includes a beam irradiation subsystem, which irradiates a wafer with a beam and thus generates an output in response to a signal from the wafer, and a computer subsystem, wherein the computer subsystem: receives the signal obtained by irradiating the wafer with the beam using the pattern measuring tool; measures a width between a first pattern and another pattern formed on the wafer and identifies a value corresponding to a signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern, based on reception of the signal; and calculates height information from a portion between the first pattern and the other pattern to an upper portion of a pattern based on the measured width between the first pattern and the other pattern and the value corresponding to the signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 5, wherein the computer system measures the signal amount emitted from between the first pattern and the other pattern based on the reception of the signal, and calculates the height information based on a comparison between the measured signal amount and a reference signal amount. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 6, wherein the computer system calculates a value ϕ corresponding to the signal amount based on ϕ=b/a a: the reference signal amount emitted from the upper portion of the pattern b: the measured signal amount. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 5, wherein the computer system calculates the height information based on H=L·sin θ/2 tan θ H: the height information L: the width between the first pattern and the other pattern θ: a value that changes according to a shape and a position of a detector ϕ: the value corresponding to the signal amount. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 8, comprising: a storage medium that stores the θ, wherein the storage medium stores the θ corresponding to a device condition of the beam irradiation subsystem. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 8, comprising: a storage medium that stores the θ, wherein the computer system measures a length of a shadow that starts from an edge of a pattern having a known height based on the signal obtained by irradiating the pattern having a known height with the beam. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 10, wherein the computer system calculates the θ based on θ=tan−1 (l/h) l: the length of the shadow h: the known height of the pattern. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 8, comprising: a storage medium that stores the θ, wherein the computer system measures a length of a shadow that starts from an edge of a pattern having a known inclination angle based on the signal obtained by irradiating the pattern having a known inclination angle with the beam. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 12, wherein the computer system calculates an elevation angle θ based on θ=tan−1 (d/l) d: a depth of an end portion of the shadow of the pattern having a known inclination angle l: the length of the shadow. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 12, wherein the pattern having a known inclination angle is in a pyramid shape. ### Claim 15 (depends on 5) The pattern measuring tool according to claim 5, wherein the beam irradiation subsystem includes a stage to place the wafer, and a pattern having a known height or a known inclination angle is formed on the stage. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores program instructions executable on a computer system of a pattern measuring tool so as to perform a method that is implemented by a computer that measures a pattern formed on a wafer, wherein the method that is implemented by the computer includes: receiving a signal obtained by irradiating the wafer with a beam using the pattern measuring tool; measuring a width between a first pattern and another pattern formed on the wafer and identifying a value corresponding to a signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern, based on reception of the signal; and calculating height information from a portion between the first pattern and the other pattern to an upper portion of a pattern based on the measured width between the first pattern and the other pattern and the value corresponding to the signal amount between the first pattern and the other pattern. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores program instructions according to claim 16, wherein the signal amount emitted from between the first pattern and the other pattern is measured based on the reception of the signal, and the height information is calculated based on a comparison between the measured signal amount and a reference signal amount. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores program instructions according to claim 17, wherein a value ϕ corresponding to the signal amount is calculated based on ϕ=b/a a: the reference signal amount emitted from an upper portion of a pattern b: the measured signal amount. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores program instructions according to claim 16, wherein the height information is calculated based on H=L·sin θ/2 tan θ H: the height information L: the width between the first pattern and the other pattern θ: a value that changes according to a shape and a position of a detector ϕ: the value corresponding to the signal amount.