Probe navigation method and device and defect inspection device
AssigneeHitachi High-Technologies Corporation
InventorsTakashi Furukawa, Takayuki Mizuno, Eiichi Hazaki, Hirofumi Sato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A probe navigation method, a navigation device, and a defect inspection device wherein in a charged particle beam system provided with probes for electrical characteristics evaluation, probing can be easily carried out regardless of the equipment user's level of skill are provided. To attain this object, probes and a test piece stage on which a test piece is placed are driven by independent driving means. Further, a large stage driving means which integrally drives the probes and the test piece stage is provided. In addition, CAD navigation is adopted. This enhances the equipment users' convenience during probing.
Claims17
A probing method for charged particle beam systems comprising the steps of:
- operating a charged particle beam system including:
- a plurality of probes, each of the probes having a tip for contacting a sample,
- a plurality of first driving units, corresponding respectively to the plurality of probes, for driving each of the probes independently,
- a sample stage for mounting the sample,
- a second driving unit for moving the sample stage at least in a Z direction,
- a third driving unit for moving the sample stage and the plurality of probes in unison,
- a charged particle beam image obtaining apparatus to irradiate the sample with a charged particle beam, and obtain an image from a secondary charged particle beam resulting from irradiation of the sample,
- a displaying unit for displaying the image;
- and
- an inputting unit for entering information and pointing to locations on the sample from the displayed image;
- driving the third driving unit until at least one of the probes comes into a field of view containing the image;
- and
- driving the second driving unit until a target probing position of the at least one of the probes comes into the field of view containing the image.
A charged particle beam system comprising:
- a plurality of probes, each of the probes having a tip for contacting a sample;
- a plurality of first driving units, corresponding respectively to the plurality of probes, for driving each of the probes independently;
- a sample stage on which a sample is held;
- a second driving unit for driving the sample stage at least in a Z direction;
- a third driving unit for moving the sample stage and the plurality of probes in unison;
- a controlling unit for controlling the plurality of first driving units, the second driving unit, and the third driving unit;
- an electro-optical device to irradiate the sample with a charged particle beam, and obtain an image from a second charged particle beam resulting from irradiation of the charged particle beam onto the sample;
- a displaying unit for displaying the image;
- and
- an inputting unit for entering information and pointing to locations on the sample from the displayed image;
- wherein the controlling unit causes:
- the third driving unit to operate until at least one of the probes comes into a field of view containing the image based on positional information inputted using the inputting unit, and
- the second driving unit to operate until the target probing position of the at least one of the probes comes into the field of view containing the image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.