Electron beam exposure or system inspection or measurement apparatus and its method and height detection apparatus

An electron beam exposure apparatus comprising a pattern writing apparatus including an electron optical system comprising an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source, and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by deflection element on a processed object, a projection optical system for projecting a luminous flux a repetitive light pattern on the processed object from an oblique upper direction of the processed object and a detection optical system for detecting the position of an optical image by focusing the luminous flux of the repetitive light pattern which was reflected on a surface of the processed object by the luminous flux of the repetitive light pattern projected by the projection optical system, an optical height detection apparatus arranged so as to optically detect a height of the surface in an area on the processed object based on the change of the position of an optical image composed of the luminous flux of the repetitive light pattern detected by the detection optical system, and a focus controller for focusing electron beams on the processed object in a properly-focused state by controlling a current flowed to or a voltage applied to the objective lens of the electron optical system on the basis of the height of the surface on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising an electron optical system including an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source, and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element on an inspected object, an electron beam image detection optical system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected by the electron optical system and converged and irradiated, an optical height detection apparatus for optically detecting a height of a surface in an area on the inspected object irradiated by electron beams deflected and converged by the electron optical system, a focus controller for focusing electron beams on inspected object in a properly-focused state by controlling a current flowed to or a voltage applied to said objective lens of said electron optical system on the basis of the height of a surface on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus, a deflection controller for correcting an image distortion containing a magnification error of electron beams generated on the basis of the focus control by correcting a deflection amount of the electron optical system to the deflection element on the basis of the height of the surface on said inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus, and an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of a secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beam detection optical system, wherein the detection of the secondary electron beam image, optical height detection by the optical height detection apparatus, and a real time feed back auto-focus control of the converging electron beam by the focus controller are simultaneously effected.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising an electron optical system including an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element onto the inspected object, an electron beam image detection system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected and converged by the electron optical system, an optical height detection apparatus for optically detecting a height of a surface in an area on the inspected object irradiated by electron beams deflected and converged by the electron optical system, a focus controller for calculating a focus control current or a focus control voltage based on a correction parameter between a height of a surface on the inspected object and a focus control current or a focus control voltage from a height of a surface on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus and converging electron beams on the inspected object in a properly-focused state by supplying the calculated focus control current or focus control voltage to the objective lens of the electron optical system, and an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of a secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beam image detection optical system.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising an electron optical system including an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element on the inspected object, an electron beam image detection system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected and converged by the electron optical system, an optical height detection apparatus for optically detecting a height of a surface in a place in which a focus control delay is shifted in an area on the inspected object irradiated with electron beams by the electron optical system, a focus controller for calculating a focus control current or a focus control voltage based on a correction parameter between a height of a surface on the inspected object and a focus control current or a focus control voltage from a height of a surface in a place in which a focus control delay is shifted in an area on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus and converging electron beams on the inspected object in a properly-focused state by supplying the calculated focus control current or focus control voltage to the objective lens of said electron optical system, and an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of a secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beam image detection optical system.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising an electron optical system including an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element onto the inspected object, an electron beam image detection system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected and converged by the electron optical system, an optical height detection apparatus for optically detecting a height of a surface in a place in which a position displacement corrected amount is shifted in an area on the inspected object irradiated with electron beams by the electron optical system, a focus controller for calculating a focus control current or a focus control voltage based on a correction parameter between a height of a surface on the inspected object and a focus control current or a focus control voltage from a height of a surface in a place in which a position displacement corrected amount is shifted in an area on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus and converging electron beams on the inspected object in a properly-focused state by supplying the calculated focus control current or focus control voltage to the objective lens of the electron optical system, and an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of a secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beams image detection optical system.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising a detection apparatus including an electron optical system comprising an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source, and an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element onto an inspected object, an electron beam image detection optical system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected by the electron optical system and converged and irradiated, a projection optical system for projecting a luminous flux of a repetitive light pattern on the inspected object from an oblique upper direction of the inspected object and a detection optical system for detecting a position of an optical image by focusing the luminous flux of which was reflected on a surface of the inspected object by the luminous flux projected by the projection optical system, an optical height detection apparatus arranged so as to optically detect a height of the surface in an area on the inspected object based on a change of a position of an optical image composed of the luminous flux detected by the detection optical system, a focus controller for focusing electron beams on the inspected object in a properly-focused state by controlling a relative position of a height direction between a focus position obtained by the electron optical system and a table for holding the inspected object on the basis of the height of the surface on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus, and an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on said inspected object on the basis of the secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beam image detection optical system.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement method comprising the steps of moving an inspected object at least in a predetermined direction, optically detecting a height of a surface in an area on the inspected object irradiated with electron beams by an optical height detection apparatus, deflecting electron beams emitted from an electron beam source by a deflection element of an electron optical system by controlling a current flowed to or a voltage applied to an objective lens of the electron optical system on the basis of the height of the surface on the detected inspected object such that the election beams are converged on the inspected object in a properly-focused state, correcting an image distortion containing a magnification error of an electron beam image generated based on the focus control by correcting a deflection amount to a deflection element of the electron optical system, detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by electron beams corrected, deflected, converged in a properly-focused state and irradiated by an electron beam detection optical system, and inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of the detected secondary electron beam image, wherein the steps of moving the inspected object optically detecting the height, deflecting the electron beams, detecting the secondary electron beam image and a real time feedback auto-focus control of the converging electron beams are simultaneously effected.

An electron beam system inspection or measurement apparatus comprising an electron optical system including an electron beam source, a deflection element for deflecting electron beams emitted from the electron beam source, an objective lens for converging and irradiating electron beams deflected by the deflection element on an inspected object, an electron beam image detection optical system for detecting a secondary electron beam image generated from the inspected object by the electron beams deflected by the electron optical system and converged and irradiated, an optical height detection apparatus arranged so as to optically detect a height of a surface in an area of the inspected object, an image processor for inspecting or measuring a pattern formed on the inspected object on the basis of the secondary electron beam image detected by the electron beam image detection optical system, and at least one of a focus controller for focusing electron beams on the inspected object in a properly-focused state by controlling a current flowed to or a voltage applied to the objective lens of the electron optical system on the basis of the height of the surface on the inspected object detected by the optical height detection apparatus and a deflection controller for correcting an image distortion containing a magnification error of electron beams generated on the basis of the focus control by correcting a deflection amount of the electron optical system to the deflection element on the basis of the height of the surface on the inspected objected detected by the optical height detection apparatus, wherein the detection of the secondary electron beam image, optical height detection by the optical height detection apparatus, and a real time feed back auto-focus control of the converging electron beam by the focus controller are simultaneously effected.