公开(公告)号：US11828714B2

公开(公告)日：2023-11-28

申请号：US17039694

申请日：2020-09-30

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Bobin Mathew Skaria ,  Anirban Ghosh ,  Nitin Singh Malik ,  Shay Attal

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/88

CPC classification number: G01N21/9505 ,  G01N21/8851 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G01N2021/8854 ,  G01N2021/8887

Abstract: There is provided a system and a method comprising obtaining a sequence of a plurality of frames of an area of a specimen, wherein at least one frame of the sequence is transformed with respect to another frame, obtaining a reference frame based at least on a first frame of the sequence, determining, based on the reference frame, a reference pattern, wherein the reference pattern is informative of a structural feature of the specimen in the area, for a given frame of the sequence, determining, based on the given frame, a pattern informative of said structural feature in the area, determining data Dshrinkage informative of an amplitude of a spatial transformation between the reference pattern and the pattern, generating a corrected frame based on said pattern and Dshrinkage and generating an image of the area.

公开(公告)号：US20210233220A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-29

申请号：US16752353

申请日：2020-01-24

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Boaz Cohen ,  Gadi Greenberg ,  Sivan Lifschitz ,  Shay Attal ,  Oded O. Dassa ,  Ziv Parizat

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  G03F1/44

Abstract: Implementations of the disclosure provide methods for generating an in-die reference for die-to-die defect detection techniques. The inspection methods using in-die reference comprise finding similar blocks of a lithographic mask, the similar blocks are defined by similar CAD information. A comparison distance is selected based on (i) areas of the similar blocks and (ii) spatial relationships between the similar blocks. The similar blocks are aggregated, based on the comparison distance, to provide multiple aggregated areas; and comparable regions of the lithographic mask are defined based on the multiple aggregate blocks. Images of at least some of the comparable regions of the lithographic mask are acquired using an inspection module. The acquired images are compared.

公开(公告)号：US09927375B2

公开(公告)日：2018-03-27

申请号：US14977379

申请日：2015-12-21

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel, Ltd.

Inventor： Shay Attal ,  Ori Petel ,  Sergey Latinsky ,  Sergey Khristo ,  Boaz Cohen

IPC: G01N21/00 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/88

CPC classification number: G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/8851 ,  G01N2021/95676 ,  G03F1/84

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention there may be provided a system for assigning lithographic mask inspection process parameters. The system may include a search module, a decision module and a memory module. The memory module may be configured to store an expected image expected to be formed on a photoresist during a lithographic process that involves illuminating the lithographic mask. The search module may be configured to search in the expected image for printable features. The decision module may be configured to assign a first lithographic mask inspection process parameter to lithographic mask areas related to printable features and assign a second lithographic mask inspection process parameter to at least some lithographic mask areas that are not associated with printable features. The second lithographic mask inspection process parameter may differ from the first lithographic mask inspection process parameter.

公开(公告)号：US11263741B2

公开(公告)日：2022-03-01

申请号：US16752353

申请日：2020-01-24

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Boaz Cohen ,  Gadi Greenberg ,  Sivan Lifschitz ,  Shay Attal ,  Oded O. Dassa ,  Ziv Parizat

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  G03F1/44

Abstract: Implementations of the disclosure provide methods for generating an in-die reference for die-to-die defect detection techniques. The inspection methods using in-die reference comprise finding similar blocks of a lithographic mask, the similar blocks are defined by similar CAD information. A comparison distance is selected based on (i) areas of the similar blocks and (ii) spatial relationships between the similar blocks. The similar blocks are aggregated, based on the comparison distance, to provide multiple aggregated areas; and comparable regions of the lithographic mask are defined based on the multiple aggregate blocks. Images of at least some of the comparable regions of the lithographic mask are acquired using an inspection module. The acquired images are compared.

公开(公告)号：US20190088444A1

公开(公告)日：2019-03-21

申请号：US16131289

申请日：2018-09-14

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel, Ltd.

Inventor： Shay Attal ,  Shaul Cohen ,  Guy Maoz ,  Noam Zac ,  Mor Baram ,  Lee Moldovan ,  Ishai Schwarzband ,  Ron Katzir ,  Kfir Ben-Zikri ,  Doron Girmonsky

IPC: H01J37/244 ,  G01B15/02 ,  H01J37/29

Abstract: A method for evaluating an object, the method may include acquiring, by a charged particle beam system, an image of an area of a reference object, wherein the area includes multiple instances of a structure of interest, and the structure of interest is of a nanometric scale; determining multiple types of attributes from the image; reducing a number of the attributes to provide reduced attribute information; generating guidelines, based on the reduced attribute information and on reference data, for evaluating the reduced attribute information; and evaluating an actual object by implementing the guidelines.

公开(公告)号：US11054753B1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-06

申请号：US16853586

申请日：2020-04-20

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.

Inventor： Vladislav Kaplan ,  Shay Attal ,  Lavi Jacov Shachar ,  Kevin Ryan Houchens

IPC: G01B11/00 ,  G03F7/20 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A method for overlay monitoring including: obtaining a secondary electron image and a backscattered electron image of as area of the substrate in which an array of first structural elements are positioned at a surface of the substrate and a second array of second structural elements are positioned below the first array; determining locations of the first structural elements within the secondary electron image; defining regions of interest in the backscattered electron image, based on the locations of the first structural elements; processing pixels of the backscattered electron image that are located within the regions of interest to provide a backscattered electron representation of a second structural element; and calculating an overlay error based on location information regarding the second structural element within the backscattered electron representation of the second structural element and on location information regarding of at least one first structural element in the secondary electron image.

公开(公告)号：US20170176347A1

公开(公告)日：2017-06-22

申请号：US14977379

申请日：2015-12-21

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel, Ltd.

Inventor： Shay Attal ,  Ori Petel ,  Sergey Latinsky ,  Sergey Khristo ,  Boaz Cohen

IPC: G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/88

CPC classification number: G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/8851 ,  G01N2021/95676 ,  G03F1/84

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention there may be provided a system for assigning lithographic mask inspection process parameters. The system may include a search module, a decision module and a memory module. The memory module may be configured to store an expected image expected to be formed on a photoresist during a lithographic process that involves illuminating the lithographic mask. The search module may be configured to search in the expected image for printable features. The decision module may be configured to assign a first lithographic mask inspection process parameter to lithographic mask areas related to printable features and assign a second lithographic mask inspection process parameter to at least some lithographic mask areas that are not associated with printable features. The second lithographic mask inspection process parameter may differ from the first lithographic mask inspection process parameter.