Method and device for assessing surface uniformity of semiconductor device treated by CMP

A device for inspecting a surface of a semiconductor device comprising:

• means which divides exposure mask data for a semiconductor device into arbitrary regions and calculates, in an arbitrary region j of the exposure mask data, ρj=Pj/Sj which is a ratio between an area Sj of the region j and an area Pj of a portion in the region j where a pattern is present,
• means which obtains an surface height deviation Hj of the semiconductor device after chemical mechanical polishing by a simulation which is performed using, as parameters, the ratio ρj, a size h of a step on a surface of the semiconductor device before polishing, a polishing speed K of a chemical mechanical polishing device, Young's modulus G of a polishing pad, a half-value width Rc of a stress function and a thickness d of the polishing pad,
• means which measures surface height deviations Hej at at least two divided regions,
• means which compares the surface height deviation Hj after the chemical mechanical polishing and the measured surface height deviations Hej each other,
• means which changes values of the polishing speed K, the Young's modulus G and the half-value width Rc until the surface height deviation Hj after chemical mechanical polishing agrees with the measured surface height deviations Hej at least in portion of the regions, and
• means which simulates surface height deviation after polishing using values of the polishing speed K, the Young's modulus G, the half-value width Rc and the thickness d which are newly obtained by the change and determines surface height deviations of regions where the measured surface height deviations Hej are not present.