公开(公告)号：US20220245791A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-04

申请号：US17722710

申请日：2022-04-18

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： Junqing Huang ,  Hucheng Lee ,  Sangbong Park ,  Xiaochun Li

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  H01L27/108 ,  H01L27/11556 ,  G06T7/11 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L27/11582

Abstract: With the disclosed systems and methods for DRAM and 3D NAND inspection, an image of the wafer is received based on the output for an inspection tool. Geometric measurements of a design of a plurality of memory devices on the wafer are received. A care area with higher inspection sensitivity is determined based on the geometric measurements.

公开(公告)号：US20210383557A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-09

申请号：US17334179

申请日：2021-05-28

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Bjorn Brauer ,  Huan Jin ,  Xiaochun Li

IPC: G06T7/32 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06T7/33

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining one or more alignment parameters for use in a process performed on a specimen are provided. One method includes determining measures of similarity between images generated by an imaging system for corresponding locations in each of two or more pairs of dies on a specimen and performing cluster analysis based on the determined measures of similarity to identify the images that are most similar to each other and to assign different subsets of the images that are most similar to each other to different die clusters, respectively. The method also includes separately determining one or more alignment parameters for two or more of the different die clusters. The one or more alignment parameters are used for aligning images generated by the imaging system for the specimen or another specimen to a common reference.

公开(公告)号：US20210342992A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-04

申请号：US17246034

申请日：2021-04-30

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Hong Chen ,  Kenong Wu ,  Xiaochun Li ,  James A. Smith ,  Eugene Shifrin ,  Qing Luo ,  Michael Cook ,  Wei Si ,  Leon Yu ,  Bjorn Brauer ,  Nurmohammed Patwary ,  Ramon Ynzunza ,  Neil Troy

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G01N21/95

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. One system includes computer subsystem(s) configured for performing at least one repeater defect detection step in front-end processing during an inspection process performed on a wafer having features printed in a lithography process using a reticle. The at least one repeater defect detection step performed in the front-end processing includes identifying any defects detected at corresponding locations in two or more test images by double detection and any defects detected by stacked defect detection as first repeater defect candidates. One or more additional repeater defect detections may be performed on the first repeater defect candidates to generate final repeater defect candidates and identify defects on the reticle from the final repeater defect candidates.

公开(公告)号：US11120546B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-14

申请号：US17013264

申请日：2020-09-04

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Bjorn Brauer ,  Nurmohammed Patwary ,  Sangbong Park ,  Xiaochun Li

IPC: G06K9/00 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06K9/62 ,  G06T5/00 ,  G06T5/50

Abstract: An optical characterization system and a method of using the same are disclosed. The system comprises a controller configured to be communicatively coupled with one or more detectors configured to receive illumination from a sample and generate image data. One or more processors may be configured to receive images of dies on the sample, calculate dissimilarity values for all combinations of the images, perform a cluster analysis to partition the combinations of the images into two or more clusters, generate a reference image for a cluster of the two or more clusters using two or more of the combinations of the images in the cluster; and detect one or more defects on the sample by comparing a test image in the cluster to the reference image for the cluster.

公开(公告)号：US20200244963A1

公开(公告)日：2020-07-30

申请号：US16744301

申请日：2020-01-16

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Nurmohammed Patwary ,  Richard Wallingford ,  James A. Smith ,  Xiaochun Li ,  Vladimir Tumakov ,  Bjorn Brauer

IPC: H04N19/126 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H04N19/60

Abstract: A sample characterization system is disclosed. In embodiments, the sample characterization system includes a controller communicatively coupled to an inspection sub-system, the controller including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, the set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to: acquire one or more target image frames of a sample; generate a target tensor with the one or more acquired target image frames; perform a first set of one or more decomposition processes on the target tensor to form generate one or more reference tensors including one or more reference image frames; identify one or more differences between the one or more target image frames and the one or more reference image frames; and determine one or more characteristics of the sample based on the one or more identified differences.