US 8,179,530 B2Granted

Methods and systems for determining a critical dimension and overlay of a specimen

AssigneeKLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation

InventorsAdy Levy, Kyle A. Brown, Rodney Smedt, Gary Bultman, Mehrdad Nikoonahad, Dan Wack, John Fielden, Ibrahim Abdul-Halim

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Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring semiconductor fabrication processes are provided. A system may include a stage configured to support a specimen and coupled to a measurement device. The measurement device may include an illumination system and a detection system. The illumination system and the detection system may be configured such that the system may be configured to determine multiple properties of the specimen. For example, the system may be configured to determine multiple properties of a specimen including: but not limited to, critical dimension and overlay misregistration; defects and thin film characteristics; critical dimension and defects; critical dimension and thin film characteristics; critical dimension, thin film characteristics and defects; macro defects and micro defects; flatness, thin film characteristics and defects; overlay misregistration and flatness; an implant characteristic and defects; and adhesion and thickness. In this manner, a measurement device may perform multiple optical and/or non-optical metrology and/or inspection techniques.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A system configured to determine at least two properties of a specimen during use, comprising:

a stage configured to support the specimen during use;
a measurement device coupled to the stage, wherein the measurement device is configured as a spectroscopic scatterometer and a spectroscopic ellipsometer, and wherein the measurement device comprises:
an illumination system configured to direct energy toward a surface of the specimen during use;
and
a detection system coupled to the illumination system and configured to detect energy propagating from the surface of the specimen during use, wherein the measurement device is further configured to generate one or more output signals in response to the detected energy during use;
and
a processor coupled to the measurement device and configured to determine a first property and a second property of the specimen from the one or more output signals during use, wherein the specimen comprises at least one diffracting structure and one or more films underneath the at least one diffracting structure, wherein the first property comprises a grating shape parameter of the at least one diffracting structure, and wherein the second property comprises overlay misregistration of the specimen.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/830,408Filed 5 Jul 2010 · continuation
Priority: 20 Sep 2000
Published: US 2010/0271621 A128 Oct 2010
Granted: 15 May 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

G01N 21/27
Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands: using…
G01N 21/211
Polarisation-affecting properties: ellipsometry
G01N 21/47
Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated: scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection
G01N 21/636
Optically excited: using an arrangement of pump beam and probe beam; using the measurement of optical non-linear properties

Family

Application60/234,323Us provisional application · filed 20 Sep 2000
Application09/956,838Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Sep 2001
Application10/401,242Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Mar 2003
US 6,891,627 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 10 May 2005
US 7,751,046 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Jul 2010
US 2010/0271621 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Oct 2010
US 2004/0235205 A1Published application
US 8,179,530 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.