公开(公告)号：US06870617B2

公开(公告)日：2005-03-22

申请号：US10796322

申请日：2004-03-09

申请人： Adam Norton ,  Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Fred E. Stanke ,  Rodney Smedt

发明人： Adam Norton ,  Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Fred E. Stanke ,  Rodney Smedt

IPC分类号： G01J3/08 ,  G01J3/42 ,  G01N21/55

CPC分类号： G01J3/02 ,  G01J3/0218 ,  G01J3/08 ,  G01J3/42 ,  G01N21/55

摘要： The invention is a method and apparatus for determining characteristics of a sample. The system and method provide for detecting a monitor beam reflected off a mirror, where the monitor beam corresponds to the intensity of light incident upon the sample. The system and method also provide for detecting a measurement beam, where the measurement beam has been reflected off the sample being characterized. Both the monitor beam and the measurement beam are transmitted through the same transmission path, and detected by the same detector. Thus, potential sources of variations between the monitor beam and the measurement beam which are not due to the characteristics of the sample are minimized. Reflectivity information for the sample can be determined by comparing data corresponding to the measurement beam relative to data corresponding the monitor beam.

摘要翻译： 本发明是用于确定样品特性的方法和装置。 该系统和方法提供用于检测从反射镜反射的监视光束，其中监视光束对应于入射在样本上的光的强度。 该系统和方法还提供了用于检测测量光束，其中测量光束已经从被表征的样品反射出来。 监测光束和测量光束都通过相同的传输路径传输，并由相同的检测器检测。 因此，监测光束和测量光束之间不是由于样品特性引起的变化的潜在来源被最小化。 可以通过将与测量光束相对应的数据相对于监视光束对应的数据进行比较来确定样本的反射率信息。

公开(公告)号：US06819426B2

公开(公告)日：2004-11-16

申请号：US10074561

申请日：2002-02-12

申请人： Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： G01B1100

CPC分类号： G03F7/70633 ,  H01L22/34 ,  H01L2223/54453

摘要： Alignment accuracy between two or more patterned layers is measured using a metrology target comprising substantially overlapping diffraction gratings formed in a test area of the layers being tested. An optical instrument illuminates all or part of the target area and measures the optical response. The instrument can measure transmission, reflectance, and/or ellipsometric parameters as a function of wavelength, polar angle of incidence, azimuthal angle of incidence, and/or polarization of the illumination and detected light. Overlay error or offset between those layers containing the test gratings is determined by a processor programmed to calculate an optical response for a set of parameters that include overlay error, using a model that accounts for diffraction by the gratings and interaction of the gratings with each others' diffracted field. The model parameters might also take account of manufactured asymmetries. The calculation may involve interpolation of pre-computed entries from a database accessible to the processor. The calculated and measured responses are iteratively compared and the model parameters changed to minimize the difference.

摘要翻译： 使用包括在被测试层的测试区域中形成的基本上重叠的衍射光栅的测量目标来测量两个或更多个图案化层之间的对准精度。 光学仪器照亮目标区域的全部或部分，并测量光学响应。 仪器可以测量作为波长，极角入射角，入射方位角和/或照明和检测光的偏振的函数的透射率，反射率和/或椭偏参数。 包含测试光栅的那些层之间的叠加误差或偏移量被编程为使用考虑光栅衍射的模型和光栅与彼此的相互作用计算包括重叠误差的一组参数的光学响应的​​处理器来确定 '衍射场 模型参数也可能考虑到制造的不对称性。 该计算可以包括从处理器可访问的数据库插入预先计算的条目。 迭代比较计算和测量的响应，改变模型参数以最小化差异。

公开(公告)号：US06806105B2

公开(公告)日：2004-10-19

申请号：US10621218

申请日：2003-07-16

申请人： Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： H01L2166

CPC分类号： H01L21/67 ,  G01B11/0625 ,  G01B11/30 ,  G01N21/211 ,  H01L22/12

摘要： A method of measuring at least one parameter associated with a portion of a sample having formed thereon one or more structures with at least two zones each having an associated zone reflectance property. The method includes the steps of illuminating the zones with broadband light, and measuring at least one reflectance property of light reflected from the at least two zones. The measurement includes a substantial portion of non-specularly scattered light, thereby increasing the quality of the measurement. The method further includes the step of fitting a parameterized model to the measured reflectance property. The parameterized model mixes the zone reflectance properties of the zones to account for partially coherent light interactions between the two zones.

公开(公告)号：US06778273B2

公开(公告)日：2004-08-17

申请号：US10112138

申请日：2002-03-29

申请人： Adam E. Norton ,  Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Adam E. Norton ,  Abdurrahman Sezginer ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： G01J400

CPC分类号： G01B11/02 ,  G01J3/02 ,  G01J3/0294 ,  G01N21/211 ,  G01N21/25 ,  G01N21/474 ,  G01N21/9501 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N2021/213

摘要： An optical measurement system for evaluating a sample has a azimuthally rotatable measurement head. A motor-driven rotating mechanism is coupled to the measurement head to allow the optics to rotate with respect to the sample. In particular, a preferred embodiment is a polarimetric scatterometer (FIG. 1) for measuring optical properties of a periodic structure on a wafer sample (12). This scatterometer has optics (30) directing a polarized illumination beam at non-normal incidence onto the periodic structure. In addition to a polarizer (8), the illumination path can also be provided with an E-O modulator for modulating the polarization. The measurement head optics also collect light reflected from the periodic structure and feed that light to a spectrometer (17) for measurement. A polarization beamsplitter (18) is provided in the collection path so that both S and P polarization from the sample can be separately measured. The entire measurement head can be mounted for rotation of the plane of incidence to different azimuthal directions relative to the periodic structures on the wafer. The instrument can be integrated within a wafer process tool in which wafers may be provided at arbitrary orientation.

摘要翻译： 用于评估样品的光学测量系统具有方位角可旋转的测量头。 马达驱动的旋转机构耦合到测量头以允许光学器件相对于样品旋转。 特别地，优选的实施例是用于测量晶片样品（12）上的周期性结构的光学性质的偏振散射仪（图1）。 该散射仪具有将非正常入射的偏振照明光束引导到周期性结构上的光学器件（30）。 除了偏振器（8）之外，照明路径还可以设置有用于调制偏振的E-O调制器。 测量头光学器件还收集从周期性结构反射的光并将该光馈送到用于测量的光谱仪（17）。 偏振分束器（18）设置在收集路径中，从而可以分别测量来自样本的S和P极化。 可以将整个测量头安装成相对于晶片上的周期性结构使入射平面旋转到不同的方位角方向。 仪器可以集成在晶片工艺工具中，其中可以以任意取向提供晶片。

公开(公告)号：US06667805B2

公开(公告)日：2003-12-23

申请号：US09932548

申请日：2001-08-17

申请人： Adam E. Norton ,  Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Adam E. Norton ,  Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： G01J328

CPC分类号： G01N21/31 ,  G01J3/02 ,  G01J3/0224 ,  G01J3/0243 ,  G01J3/28 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G02B5/3083 ,  G02B27/28

摘要： A small-spot imaging, spectrometry instrument for measuring properties of a sample has a polarization-scrambling element, such as a Lyot depolarizer, incorporated between the polarization-introducing components of the system, such as the beamsplitter, and the microscope objective of the system. The Lyot depolarizer varies polarization with wavelength. Sinusoidal perturbation in the resulting measured spectrum can be removed by data processing techniques or, if the depolarizer is thick or highly birefringent, may be narrower than the wavelength resolution of the instrument.

公开(公告)号：US06340602B1

公开(公告)日：2002-01-22

申请号：US09735286

申请日：2001-02-12

申请人： Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Kenneth C. Johnson ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： H01L2100

CPC分类号： H01L21/67 ,  G01B11/0625 ,  G01B11/30 ,  G01N21/211 ,  H01L22/12

摘要： A method of measuring at least one parameter associated with a portion of a sample having formed thereon one or more structures with at least two zones each having an associated zone reflectance property. The method includes the steps of illuminating the zones with broadband light, and measuring at least one reflectance property of light reflected from the at least two zones. The measurement includes a substantial portion of non-specularly scattered light, thereby increasing the quality of the measurement. The method further includes the step of fitting a parameterized model to the measured reflectance property. The parameterized model mixes the zone reflectance properties of the zones to account for partially coherent light interactions between the two zones.

公开(公告)号：US6112595A

公开(公告)日：2000-09-05

申请号：US420217

申请日：1999-10-18

申请人： Fred E. Stanke ,  Butrus T. Khuri-Yakub ,  Hung Pham ,  Talat Hasan

发明人： Fred E. Stanke ,  Butrus T. Khuri-Yakub ,  Hung Pham ,  Talat Hasan

IPC分类号： G01N29/04 ,  G01N29/07 ,  G01N29/46 ,  G01N29/18

CPC分类号： G01N29/46 ,  G01N29/041 ,  G01N29/07 ,  G01N29/449 ,  G01N2291/02854 ,  G01N2291/02881 ,  G01N2291/0423 ,  G01N2291/0427 ,  G01N2291/044 ,  G01N2291/102 ,  G01N2291/2698

摘要： An apparatus and method are disclosed for characterizing semiconductor wafers or other test objects that can support acoustic waves. Source and receiving transducers are configured in various arrangements to respectively excite and detect acoustic waves (e.g., Lamb waves) in a wafer to be characterized. Signals representing the detected waves are digitally processed and used to compute a measurement set correlated with the waves' velocity in the wafer. A characterization sensitivity is provided that describes how different wafer characteristics of interest vary with changes in the propagation of the acoustic waves. Using the characterization sensitivity and measurement sets computed at a setup time when all wafer characteristics are known and one or more process times when at least one of the characteristics is not known the perturbation in wafer characteristics between the setup and the process times can be determined. Characterization accuracy is improved by a wafer calibration procedure wherein measurement offsets from known conditions are determined for each wafer being characterized. An apparatus and technique are disclosed for correcting for anisotropy of acoustic wave velocity due to the direction of wave propagation with respect to a preferred crystallographic axis of the wafer. An apparatus and technique are also described for measuring wafer temperature using a single transducer whose temperature is related to the temperature of the wafer and, optionally, resonator structures. For characterization steps that occur when the wafer is chucked, a chuck structure is described that reduces the likelihood of the chuck interfering with the waves in the wafer.

摘要翻译： 公开了用于表征可支持声波的半导体晶片或其它测试对象的装置和方法。 源和接收换能器被配置成各种布置以分别激发和检测要表征的晶片中的声波（例如，兰姆波）。 表示检测到的波的信号被数字处理并用于计算与晶片中的波速相关的测量集。 提供了表征灵敏度，其描述不同的感兴趣的晶片特性随着声波传播的变化而变化。 使用在所有晶片特性已知的建立时间计算的表征灵敏度和测量集，以及当至少一个特性未知时的一个或多个处理时间，可以确定设置和处理时间之间的晶片特性的扰动。 通过晶片校准程序改进表征精度，其中针对每个被表征的晶片确定对已知条件的测量偏移。 公开了一种用于校正由于相对于晶片的优选结晶轴的波传播方向引起的声波速度的各向异性的装置和技术。 还描述了一种用于使用单个换能器来测量晶片温度的装置和技术，其温度与晶片的温度和可选的谐振器结构相关。 对于在夹持晶片时发生的表征步骤，描述了一种卡盘结构，其减小卡盘干扰晶片中的波的可能性。

公开(公告)号：US5859811A

公开(公告)日：1999-01-12

申请号：US609114

申请日：1996-02-29

申请人： Douglas Miller ,  Fred E. Stanke

发明人： Douglas Miller ,  Fred E. Stanke

IPC分类号： G01V1/48 ,  G01V1/40

CPC分类号： G01V1/48

摘要： A method of analyzing a spatial series of waveforms, each waveform of which contains components arising from at least two substantially uncorrelated features, includes the steps of sorting the waveforms into groups or bins according to values of one or more of the features, determining a mean waveform for each group or bin, subtracting the mean waveform from each waveform in the group or bin, returning the waveforms to the original order of the series and determining a remaining feature. Binning, the process of sorting waveforms into groups based on values of features, can be performed for one feature determined from the waveform or for several features. All that is required is that the binning criteria are substantially uncorrelated with the feature of interest. An example of a binning criterion can be frequency or period of a component of the waveform. Also a value of a physical parameter calculated from the waveform can be used as a binning criterion.

摘要翻译： 一种分析波形的空间系列的方法，其波形的每个波形包含由至少两个基本上不相关的特征产生的分量，包括根据一个或多个特征的值将波形分组成组或分组的步骤，确定平均值 波形，从组或箱中的每个波形中减去平均波形，将波形返回到该系列的原始顺序并确定剩余的特征。 对于从波形或几个特征确定的一个特征，可以对分组进行基于特征值的波形分组的处理。 所需要的是，合并标准与感兴趣的特征基本上不相关。 分档标准的示例可以是波形的分量的频率或周期。 也可以使用从波形计算的物理参数的值作为合并标准。