公开(公告)号：US20200271595A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-27

申请号：US16283690

申请日：2019-02-22

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Aaron J. Rosenberg ,  Jonathan Iloreta ,  Thaddeus G. Dziura ,  Antonio Gellineau ,  Yin Xu ,  Kaiwen Xu ,  John Hench ,  Abhi Gunde ,  Andrei Veldman ,  Liequan Lee ,  Houssam Chouaib

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G06F17/50 ,  H01L27/02 ,  H01L27/088 ,  H01L27/108 ,  H01L27/115 ,  G06T17/10 ,  G06T15/20 ,  G01N21/956

Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the image to a device for display.

公开(公告)号：US11036898B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-15

申请号：US16352776

申请日：2019-03-13

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Alexander Kuznetsov

IPC: G01R31/308 ,  G06F30/17 ,  G01R31/309

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating measurement models of nanowire based semiconductor structures based on re-useable, parametric models are presented herein. Metrology systems employing these models are configured to measure structural and material characteristics (e.g., material composition, dimensional characteristics of structures and films, etc.) associated with nanowire semiconductor fabrication processes. The re-useable, parametric models of nanowire based semiconductor structures enable measurement model generation that is substantially simpler, less error prone, and more accurate. As a result, time to useful measurement results is significantly reduced, particularly when modelling complex, nanowire based structures. The re-useable, parametric models of nanowire based semiconductor structures are useful for generating measurement models for both optical metrology and x-ray metrology, including soft x-ray metrology and hard x-ray metrology.

公开(公告)号：US10458912B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-29

申请号：US15649843

申请日：2017-07-14

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01B11/30 ,  G01N21/47 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01B11/24 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/88

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing optical, model based measurements of a small sized semiconductor structure employing an anisotropic characterization of the optical dispersion properties of one or more materials comprising the structure under measurement are presented herein. This reduces correlations among geometric parameters and results in improved measurement sensitivity, improved measurement accuracy, and enhanced measurement contrast among multiple materials under measurement. In a further aspect, an element of a multidimensional tensor describing the dielectric permittivity of the materials comprising the structure is modelled differently from another element. In a further aspect, model based measurements are performed based on measurement data collected from two or more measurement subsystems combined with an anisotropic characterization of the optical dispersion of the materials under measurement. In another aspect, the characterization of the optical dispersion of one or more materials comprising the structure under measurement depends on the geometry of the structure.

公开(公告)号：US10794839B2

公开(公告)日：2020-10-06

申请号：US16283690

申请日：2019-02-22

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Aaron J. Rosenberg ,  Jonathan Iloreta ,  Thaddeus G. Dziura ,  Antonio Gellineau ,  Yin Xu ,  Kaiwen Xu ,  John Hench ,  Abhi Gunde ,  Andrei Veldman ,  Liequan Lee ,  Houssam Chouaib

IPC: G01N21/00 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H01L27/02 ,  H01L27/088 ,  H01L27/108 ,  G06T17/10 ,  G06T15/20 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L27/115 ,  G06F30/39

Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the image to a device for display.

公开(公告)号：US20200240768A1

公开(公告)日：2020-07-30

申请号：US16848945

申请日：2020-04-15

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01B11/06 ,  G01B15/02 ,  H01L29/49 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: Methods and systems disclosed herein can measure thin film stacks, such as film on grating and bandgap on grating in semiconductors. For example, the thin film stack may be a 1D film stack, a 2D film on grating, or a 3D film on grating. One or more effective medium dispersion models are created for the film stack. Each effective medium dispersion model can substitute for one or more layers. A thickness of one or more layers can be determined using the effective medium dispersion based scatterometry model. In an instance, three effective medium dispersion based scatterometry models are developed and used to determine thickness of three layers in a film stack.

公开(公告)号：US11555689B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-17

申请号：US16848945

申请日：2020-04-15

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01B11/06 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L29/49 ,  G01B15/02 ,  H01L29/423 ,  H01L29/51 ,  H01L29/66

Abstract: Methods and systems disclosed herein can measure thin film stacks, such as film on grating and bandgap on grating in semiconductors. For example, the thin film stack may be a 1D film stack, a 2D film on grating, or a 3D film on grating. One or more effective medium dispersion models are created for the film stack. Each effective medium dispersion model can substitute for one or more layers. A thickness of one or more layers can be determined using the effective medium dispersion based scatterometry model. In an instance, three effective medium dispersion based scatterometry models are developed and used to determine thickness of three layers in a film stack.

公开(公告)号：US20190063900A1

公开(公告)日：2019-02-28

申请号：US15800877

申请日：2017-11-01

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01B11/06 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: Methods and systems disclosed herein can measure thin film stacks, such as film on grating and bandgap on grating in semiconductors. For example, the thin film stack may be a 1D film stack, a 2D film on grating, or a 3D film on grating. One or more effective medium dispersion models are created for the film stack. Each effective medium dispersion model can substitute for one or more layers. A thickness of one or more layers can be determined using the effective medium dispersion based scatterometry model. In an instance, three effective medium dispersion based scatterometry models are developed and used to determine thickness of three layers in a film stack.

公开(公告)号：US20180059019A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-01

申请号：US15649843

申请日：2017-07-14

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01N21/47 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01B11/30

CPC classification number: G01N21/4788 ,  G01B11/24 ,  G01B11/30 ,  G01B11/303 ,  G01B2210/56 ,  G01N21/211 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G01N21/9515 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N2021/8883 ,  G03F7/70616 ,  G03F7/70625

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing optical, model based measurements of a small sized semiconductor structure employing an anisotropic characterization of the optical dispersion properties of one or more materials comprising the structure under measurement are presented herein. This reduces correlations among geometric parameters and results in improved measurement sensitivity, improved measurement accuracy, and enhanced measurement contrast among multiple materials under measurement. In a further aspect, an element of a multidimensional tensor describing the dielectric permittivity of the materials comprising the structure is modelled differently from another element. In a further aspect, model based measurements are performed based on measurement data collected from two or more measurement subsystems combined with an anisotropic characterization of the optical dispersion of the materials under measurement. In another aspect, the characterization of the optical dispersion of one or more materials comprising the structure under measurement depends on the geometry of the structure.

公开(公告)号：US11378451B2

公开(公告)日：2022-07-05

申请号：US15672120

申请日：2017-08-08

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Tianhan Wang ,  Aaron Rosenberg ,  Dawei Hu ,  Alexander Kuznetsov ,  Manh Dang Nguyen ,  Stilian Pandev ,  John Lesoine ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Liequan Lee ,  Houssam Chouaib ,  Ming Di ,  Torsten R. Kaack ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01J3/18 ,  G01J3/28 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/25 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G01N21/84

Abstract: A spectroscopic metrology system includes a spectroscopic metrology tool and a controller. The controller generates a model of a multilayer grating including two or more layers, the model including geometric parameters indicative of a geometry of a test layer of the multilayer grating and dispersion parameters indicative of a dispersion of the test layer. The controller further receives a spectroscopic signal of a fabricated multilayer grating corresponding to the modeled multilayer grating from the spectroscopic metrology tool. The controller further determines values of the one or more parameters of the modeled multilayer grating providing a simulated spectroscopic signal corresponding to the measured spectroscopic signal within a selected tolerance. The controller further predicts a bandgap of the test layer of the fabricated multilayer grating based on the determined values of the one or more parameters of the test layer of the fabricated structure.

公开(公告)号：US11156548B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-26

申请号：US15938270

申请日：2018-03-28

Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION

Inventor： Manh Nguyen ,  Phillip Atkins ,  Alexander Kuznetsov ,  Liequan Lee ,  Natalia Malkova ,  Paul Aoyagi ,  Mikhail Sushchik ,  Dawei Hu ,  Houssam Chouaib

IPC: G01N21/21 ,  G01B11/06 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G05B13/02

Abstract: A parameterized geometric model of a structure can be determined based on spectra from a wafer metrology tool. The structure can have geometry-induced anisotropic effects. Dispersion parameters of the structure can be determined from the parameterized geometric model. This can enable metrology techniques to measure nanostructures that have geometries and relative positions with surrounding structures that induce non-negligible anisotropic effects. These techniques can be used to characterize process steps involving metal and semiconductor targets in semiconductor manufacturing of, for example, FinFETs or and gate-all-around field-effect transistors.