公开(公告)号：US20130169966A1

公开(公告)日：2013-07-04

申请号：US13648768

申请日：2012-10-10

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Lawrence D. Rotter ,  David Y. Wang ,  Andrei Veldman ,  Kevin Peterlinz ,  Gregory Brady ,  Derrick Shaughnessy

IPC: G01N21/55 ,  G01N21/47

CPC classification number: G01N21/211 ,  G01B11/0616 ,  G01N21/4738 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G01N2021/213 ,  G03F7/70608 ,  G03F7/70625 ,  G03F7/70633

Abstract: The present invention may include a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulses trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.

Abstract translation: 本发明可以包括被配置为照亮设置在样品台上的样品的表面的可调节照明源，被配置为检测从样品的表面发出的照明的检测器，被配置为将来自可调节照明源的照明引导到 样品的表面，被配置为将样品的表面的照射引导到检测器的收集光学器件，以及通信地耦合到可调节照明源的调制控制系统，其中调制控制系统被配置为调制可调节照明的驱动电流 源，其以适于产生具有选定的相干特征长度的照明的选定调制频率。 此外，本发明包括多个光源的输出的时间顺序交错以产生用于多波长时间顺序光学测量的周期性脉冲串。

公开(公告)号：US10976249B1

公开(公告)日：2021-04-13

申请号：US14504234

申请日：2014-10-01

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Andrew Hill ,  Gregory Brady

IPC: G01N21/47 ,  G02B19/00

Abstract: Methods and systems for relaying an optical image using a cascade arrangement of tilted, concave mirrors are presented. An exemplary optical relay system includes a cascade arrangement of four mirrors each having concave, spherical surface figures. The first and third mirrors are configured to focus collimated wavefronts and the second and fourth mirrors re-collimate diverging wavefronts reflected from the first and third mirrors. Each mirror is tilted such that wavefronts located in the local field plane and local pupil plane of each mirror are physically separated. The magnitude and direction of each tilt angle are arranged such that off-axis aberrations introduced by each individual mirrors are largely compensated by the other mirrors. Such an optical relay system is employed to relay images of the pupil plane of a metrology system that is configured to perform accurate measurements of semiconductor structures and materials over a broad range of illumination wavelengths.

公开(公告)号：US20190195782A1

公开(公告)日：2019-06-27

申请号：US16284950

申请日：2019-02-25

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Lawrence D. Rotter ,  David Y. Wang ,  Andrei Veldman ,  Kevin Peterlinz ,  Gregory Brady ,  Derrick A. Shaughnessy

IPC: G01N21/21 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/47 ,  G01B11/06 ,  G01N21/55

CPC classification number: G01N21/211 ,  G01B11/0616 ,  G01N21/4738 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G01N2021/213 ,  G03F7/70608 ,  G03F7/70625 ,  G03F7/70633

Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.

公开(公告)号：US09116103B2

公开(公告)日：2015-08-25

申请号：US14043783

申请日：2013-10-01

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： David Y. Wang ,  Klaus Flock ,  Lawrence Rotter ,  Shankar Krishnan ,  Johannes D. de Veer ,  Catalin Filip ,  Gregory Brady ,  Muzammil Arain ,  Andrei Shchegrov

IPC: G01J4/00 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/956

CPC classification number: G01N21/211 ,  G01B2210/56 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N2021/214 ,  G01N2021/8848 ,  G01N2201/06113 ,  G01N2201/0636

Abstract: An apparatus includes (i) a bright light source for providing an illumination beam at multiple wavelengths selectable with a range from a deep ultraviolet wavelength to an infrared wavelength, (ii) illumination optics for directing the illumination beam towards a sample at selectable sets of angles of incidence (AOI's) or azimuth angles (AZ's) and polarization states to provide spectroscopic ellipsometry, wherein the illumination optics include an apodizer for controlling a spot size of the illumination beam on the sample at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets, (iii) collection optics for directing an output beam from the sample in response to the illumination beam at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets and polarization states towards a detector that generates an output signal or image based on the output beam, and (v) a controller for characterizing a feature of the sample based on the output signal or image.

Abstract translation: 一种装置包括（i）用于提供在从深紫外波长到红外波长的范围内可选择的多个波长的照明光束的明亮光源，（ii）照明光学器件，用于将照明光束以可选择的角度集合 （AOI）或方位角（AZ）和极化状态以提供光谱椭偏仪，其中照明光学器件包括用于控制每个可选AOI / AZ组上样品上的照明光束的光斑尺寸的变迹器，（iii ）收集光学器件，用于响应于在每个可选择的AOI / AZ集合处的照明光束和朝向基于输出光束产生输出信号或图像的检测器的偏振状态来引导来自样品的输出光束，以及（v） 控制器，用于基于输出信号或图像来表征样本的特征。

公开(公告)号：US20140347666A1

公开(公告)日：2014-11-27

申请号：US14278224

申请日：2014-05-15

Applicant: KLA-Tencor Corporation

Inventor： Andrei Veldman ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Gregory Brady ,  Thaddeus Gerard Dziura ,  Stilian Ivanov Pandev ,  Alexander Kuznetsov

IPC: G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/95

CPC classification number: G01N21/211 ,  G01B11/0625 ,  G01B11/0641 ,  G01B2210/56 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G01N2021/213

Abstract: Methods and systems for evaluating the capability of a measurement system to track measurement parameters through a given process window are presented herein. Performance evaluations include random perturbations, systematic perturbations, or both to effectively characterize the impact of model errors, metrology system imperfections, and calibration errors, among others. In some examples, metrology target parameters are predetermined as part of a Design of Experiments (DOE). Estimated values of the metrology target parameters are compared to the known DOE parameter values to determine the tracking capability of the particular measurement. In some examples, the measurement model is parameterized by principal components to reduce the number of degrees of freedom of the measurement model. In addition, exemplary methods and systems for optimizing the measurement capability of semiconductor metrology systems for metrology applications subject to process variations are presented.

Abstract translation: 本文介绍了用于评估测量系统通过给定过程窗口跟踪测量参数的能力的方法和系统。 性能评估包括随机扰动，系统扰动或两者，以有效表征模型误差，计量系统缺陷和校准误差等的影响。 在一些示例中，度量目标参数被预先确定为实验设计（DOE）的一部分。 将度量目标参数的估计值与已知的DOE参数值进行比较，以确定特定测量的跟踪能力。 在一些示例中，测量模型由主要组件参数化，以减少测量模型的自由度数。 此外，提出了用于优化用于受过程变化的度量应用的半导体测量系统的测量能力的示例性方法和系统。