公开(公告)号：US10282510B2

公开(公告)日：2019-05-07

申请号：US15482687

申请日：2017-04-07

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Tenzile Berkin Cilingiroglu ,  Neel Leslie

IPC分类号： G06F17/50 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06T7/60 ,  G01N21/956

摘要： In one embodiment, a method for improving the alignment of CAD data to optical imaging data, such as LSM and LVI images of integrated circuits is disclosed. Image reconstruction techniques are applied to optical images, such as laser voltage images (LVI), laser scanning microscope (LSM) images, or emission images, to produce reconstructed images which may have higher resolution, increased signal-to-noise, or other enhancements. Multiple CAD pattern layers are processed to generate second CAD images more closely corresponding to the appearance of the reconstructed images. Alignment of the reconstructed images to the second CAD data may be substantially more accurate and precise than alignment of the initial optical images to the CAD data—in some cases this improvement may make the difference between a successful alignment and a failed alignment.

公开(公告)号：US20180323032A1

公开(公告)日：2018-11-08

申请号：US15585059

申请日：2017-05-02

申请人： FEI Comany

发明人： PETR STRELEC ,  Ondrej Shanel

IPC分类号： H01J35/06 ,  G01N23/04 ,  H01J35/30

摘要： A method, target, and apparatus are disclosed for investigating a specimen using X-ray tomography. The specimen in mounted on a specimen holder. An X-ray target has a substrate of relatively low-atomic-number material carrying an array of mutually isolated nuggets of a relatively high-atomic number material. X-rays are generated by irradiating a single nugget in the target with a charged particle beam, which then illuminates the specimen along a first line of sight through the specimen. A flux of X-rays transmitted through the specimen is detected to form a first image. The illumination process is repeated for a series of different lines of sight through the specimen, to produce a series of images. A mathematical reconstruction on the series of images is then performed to produce a tomogram of at least part of the specimen.

公开(公告)号：US10122946B2

公开(公告)日：2018-11-06

申请号：US15218465

申请日：2016-07-25

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Bart Jozef Janssen ,  Erik Michiel Franken ,  Maarten Kuijper ,  Lingbo Yu

IPC分类号： H04N5/349 ,  G06T3/40 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/378 ,  G01T1/24

摘要： When detecting particulate radiation, such as electrons, with a pixelated detector, a cloud of electron/hole pairs is formed in the detector. Using the signal caused by this cloud of electron/hole pairs, a position of the impact is estimated. When the size of the cloud is comparable to the pixel size, or much smaller, the estimated position shows a strong bias to the center of the pixel and the corners, as well to the middle of the borders. This hinders forming an image with super-resolution. By shifting the position or by attributing the electron to several sub-pixels this bias can be countered, resulting in a more truthful representation.

公开(公告)号：US10078057B2

公开(公告)日：2018-09-18

申请号：US15215341

申请日：2016-07-20

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Andrew Kingston ,  Shane Latham ,  Adrian Sheppard ,  Glenn Myers ,  Benoit Recur ,  Heyang Li

IPC分类号： G06K9/00 ,  G01N23/046 ,  H01J37/26 ,  G06T11/00

CPC分类号： G01N23/046 ,  G01N2223/401 ,  G01N2223/418 ,  G01N2223/419 ,  G06T11/006 ,  G06T2211/424 ,  H01J37/26

摘要： A method of investigating a specimen using a tomographic imaging apparatus, by performing, in multiple iterations, the following steps: (i) Using a Back Projection technique to produce an initial tomogram from a set of initial images; (ii) Subjecting said initial tomogram to a mathematical filtering operation, thereby producing an adjusted tomogram; (iii) Using a Forward Projection technique on said adjusted tomogram to dissociate it into a set of calculated images; (iv) Repeating steps (i)-(iii) until said calculated images satisfy an acceptance criterion.

公开(公告)号：US20180195962A1

公开(公告)日：2018-07-12

申请号：US15880945

申请日：2018-01-26

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Rainer Daum ,  Xaver Voegele

IPC分类号： G01N21/64 ,  G02B21/36 ,  G02B21/18 ,  G01N21/45 ,  G02B21/08 ,  G02B21/06 ,  G02B21/16

CPC分类号： G01N21/6458 ,  G01N21/45 ,  G02B21/0056 ,  G02B21/008 ,  G02B21/06 ,  G02B21/088 ,  G02B21/14 ,  G02B21/16 ,  G02B21/18 ,  G02B21/361 ,  G02B21/364 ,  G02B27/58

摘要： A standing wave interferometric microscope is disclosed herein. An example microscope may include an illuminator, for illuminating a specimen with a standing wave of input radiation at an analysis location to cause the specimen to fluoresce, the specimen arranged in the analysis location, a pair of projection systems, arranged at opposite sides of the analysis location, coupled to collect at least a portion of the fluorescence and direct a corresponding pair of fluorescence light beams into a respective pair of inputs of an optical combining element, a wavefront modifier for producing astigmatism in at least one of the fluorescence light beams entering the optical combining element, and a detector for examining output light from said combining element.

公开(公告)号：US20180182676A1

公开(公告)日：2018-06-28

申请号：US15851357

申请日：2017-12-21

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Thomas G. Miller

IPC分类号： H01L21/66 ,  G01R31/28 ,  G01R31/307

CPC分类号： H01L22/12 ,  G01R31/2831 ,  G01R31/307

摘要： A system for analyzing defects comprises determining coordinates of a defect using a wafer inspection tool; identifying a structure of interest near the defect coordinates; directing a focused ion beam toward the wafer to expose the structure of interest; and forming an image of the exposed structure of interest, wherein the focused ion beam is directed to the mill at a location corresponding to the identified structure of interest rather than at the coordinates of the defect.

公开(公告)号：US20180143110A1

公开(公告)日：2018-05-24

申请号：US15802038

申请日：2017-11-02

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Guillaume Delpy ,  Guillaume Audoit ,  Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman ,  Chad Rue

IPC分类号： G01N1/28 ,  H01J37/08 ,  H01J37/147

CPC分类号： G01N1/286 ,  G01N1/06 ,  G01N1/28 ,  H01J37/08 ,  H01J37/147 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01J2237/08 ,  H01J2237/3114 ,  H01J2237/31745

摘要： Sample pillars for x-ray tomography or other tomography scanning are created using an innovative milling strategy on a Plasma-FIB. The strategies are provided in methods, systems, and program products executable to perform the strategies herein. The milling strategy creates an asymmetrical crater around a sample pillar, and provides a single cut cut-free process. Various embodiments may include tuning the ion dose as a function of pixel coordinates along with optimization of the beam scan and crater geometries, drastically reducing the preparation time and significantly improving the overall workflow efficiency. A novel cut-free milling pattern is provided with a crescent shape and optimized dwell-time values.

公开(公告)号：US09972474B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-15

申请号：US15224628

申请日：2016-07-31

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Cornelis van Beek ,  Frederick H. Schamber ,  N. William Parker

IPC分类号： H01J37/00 ,  H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/16 ,  H01J37/18 ,  H01J37/20 ,  G01N23/225 ,  H01J37/26

CPC分类号： H01J37/244 ,  G01N23/203 ,  G01N23/2252 ,  H01J37/16 ,  H01J37/18 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/26 ,  H01J2237/164 ,  H01J2237/2442 ,  H01J2237/24475 ,  H01J2237/2448 ,  H01J2237/24578 ,  H01J2237/2807

摘要： An electron microscope including a vacuum chamber for containing a specimen to be analyzed, an optics column, including an electron source and a final probe forming lens, for focusing electrons emitted from the electron source, a specimen stage positioned in the vacuum chamber under the probe forming lens for holding the specimen, and multiple x-ray detectors positioned within the vacuum chamber, at different takeoff angles with respect to the sample's x-ray emission position in the chamber. Takeoff angles are provided to improve the counting efficiency of the various sensors. Multiple detectors of different types may be supported within the vacuum chamber on a mechanical support system, which may be adjustable. A method includes operating the sensors to optimize the time required for accurate x-ray counting by gathering data at the multiple takeoff angles.

公开(公告)号：US09959639B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-01

申请号：US15186267

申请日：2016-06-17

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Eric Gerardus Theodoor Bosch ,  Ivan Lazic

IPC分类号： G06T11/00 ,  G01N23/04 ,  G01T1/17 ,  G02B21/00 ,  H01J37/22

CPC分类号： G06T11/003 ,  G01N23/04 ,  G01N2223/419 ,  G01T1/17 ,  G02B21/008 ,  G06T11/00 ,  H01J37/222

摘要： A method and apparatus for ptychographic imaging is described. Typically a high number of pixels (after binning) is needed to obtain a high quality reconstruction of an object. By using calculation planes with more nodes (for example 512×512 nodes) than the number of pixels of the detector, a high quality reconstruction of an object can be made, even when using for example a 16 segment detector, or a 32×32 pixel detector. Although the reconstructed object shows less resolution (“sharpness”), all features are there.

公开(公告)号：US09958403B1

公开(公告)日：2018-05-01

申请号：US15728252

申请日：2017-10-09

申请人： FEI Company

发明人： Pavel Stejskal ,  Marek Un{hacek over (c)}ovský ,  Tomá{hacek over (s)} Vystav{hacek over (e)}l ,  Alan Frank de Jong ,  Bart Buijsse ,  Pierre Bleuet

IPC分类号： G01N23/00 ,  G01N23/04 ,  G21K7/00

CPC分类号： G01N23/046 ,  G01N23/2251 ,  G01N2223/1016 ,  G01N2223/204 ,  G01N2223/309 ,  G01N2223/3306 ,  G01N2223/401 ,  G01N2223/417 ,  G01N2223/419 ,  G21K7/00 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01J2237/2807

摘要： A method of investigating a specimen using X-ray tomography, comprising (a) mounting the specimen to a specimen holder, (b) irradiating the specimen with a beam of X-rays along a first line of sight through the specimen, and (c) detecting a flux of X-rays transmitted through the specimen and forming a first image. Then (d) repeating the steps (b) and (c) for a series of different lines of sight through the specimen, thereby producing a corresponding series of images. The method further comprises (e) performing a mathematical reconstruction on said series of images, so as produce a tomogram of at least part of the specimen, wherein the specimen is disposed within a substantially cylindrical metallic shell with an associated cylindrical axis, the beam of X-rays is produced by directing a beam of charged particles onto a zone of said metallic shell, so as to produce a confined X-ray source at said zone, and the series of different lines of sight is achieved by rotating said shell about said cylindrical axis, thereby causing relative motion of said zone relative to the specimen.