公开(公告)号：WO2022035590A1

公开(公告)日：2022-02-17

申请号：PCT/US2021/043366

申请日：2021-07-28

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： JIN, Huan ,  LI, Xiaochun ,  PARK, Sangbong ,  HUANG, Zhifeng

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G06T7/00 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: Global and local alignment energies are used in an image contrast metric. The image contrast metric can be used to find optical targets. Some pixels from a gradient magnitude image and a context range image from an optical image can be used to determine the image contrast metric. A heatmap from the image contrast metrics across part of a wafer can then be used to make a list of targets. Upper and lower confidence values can be applied to rank the available targets.

公开(公告)号：WO2021034623A1

公开(公告)日：2021-02-25

申请号：PCT/US2020/046257

申请日：2020-08-13

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： HUANG, Junqing (Jenny) ,  LEE, Hucheng ,  PARK, Sean Sangbong ,  LI, Xiaochun

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H01L27/115 ,  H01L27/108

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：WO2021252246A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-16

申请号：PCT/US2021/035554

申请日：2021-06-02

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： BRAUER, Bjorn ,  JIN, Huan ,  LI, Xiaochun

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G06T7/30 ,  G06T7/90 ,  G06K9/62 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G06T2207/10152 ,  G06T2207/20081 ,  G06T2207/20084 ,  G06T2207/30148 ,  G06T7/0004 ,  G06T7/001 ,  G06T7/32 ,  G06T7/344

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：WO2020159805A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-06

申请号：PCT/US2020/014868

申请日：2020-01-24

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： PATWARY, Nurmohammed ,  WALLINGFORD, Richard ,  SMITH, James A. ,  LI, Xiaochun ,  TUMAKOV, Vladimir ,  BRAUER, Bjorn

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  G06T5/00

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.

公开(公告)号：WO2022197313A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-22

申请号：PCT/US2021/026086

申请日：2021-04-07

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： MARIYAPPAN, Manikandan ,  QIAN, Jin ,  LIU, Zhuang ,  LI, Xiaochun ,  NIE, Siqing

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G06T7/00

Abstract: A rendered image is generated from a semiconductor device design file. The rendered image is segmented based on a grey level of the rendered image. Care areas are determined based on the segmenting. Defect inspection is performed in the care areas. This process can be performed on a wafer inspection tool that uses photon optics or electron beam optics.

公开(公告)号：WO2022046825A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-03

申请号：PCT/US2021/047425

申请日：2021-08-25

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： CHEN, Hong ,  BRAUER, Bjorn ,  SEZGINER, Abdurrahman ,  PARK, Sangbong ,  GE, Cong ,  LI, Xiaochun

IPC: G01N21/88 ,  G01N21/93 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G06T7/00 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: Methods and systems for setting up inspection of a specimen are provided. One system includes one or more computer subsystems configured for acquiring a reference image for a specimen and modifying the reference image to fit the reference image to a design grid thereby generating a golden grid image. The one or more computer subsystems are also configured for storing the golden grid image for use in inspection of the specimen. The inspection includes aligning a test image of the specimen generated from output of an inspection subsystem to the golden grid image.

公开(公告)号：WO2021225999A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-11

申请号：PCT/US2021/030535

申请日：2021-05-04

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： CHEN, Hong ,  WU, Kenong ,  LI, Xiaochun ,  SMITH, James A. ,  SHIFRIN, Eugene ,  LUO, Qing ,  COOK, Michael ,  SI, Wilson Wei ,  YU, Leon ,  BRAUER, Bjorn ,  PATWARY, Nurmohammed ,  TROY, Neil ,  YNZUNZA, Ramon

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F1/84 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G06K9/62 ,  G06T5/00

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：WO2021061499A1

公开(公告)日：2021-04-01

申请号：PCT/US2020/051343

申请日：2020-09-18

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： BRAUER, Bjorn ,  PATWARY, Nurmohammed ,  PARK, Sean Sangbong ,  LI, Xiaochun

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

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：WO2020081476A1

公开(公告)日：2020-04-23

申请号：PCT/US2019/056168

申请日：2019-10-15

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： DOWLING, David ,  SINGH, Tarunark ,  BRAUER, Bjorn ,  BHATTACHARYYA, Santosh ,  MANTIPLY, Bryant ,  LEE, Hucheng ,  LI, Xiaochun ,  PARK, Sean Sangbong

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G06T7/00

Abstract: A method of semiconductor-wafer image alignment is performed at a semiconductor-wafer defect-inspection system. In the method, a semiconductor wafer is loaded into the semiconductor-wafer defect-inspection system. Pre-inspection alignment is performed for the semiconductor wafer. After performing the pre-inspection alignment, a first swath is executed to generate a first image of a first region on the semiconductor wafer. An offset of a target structure in the first image with respect to a known point is determined. Defect identification is performed for the first image, using the offset. After executing the first swath and determining the offset, a second swath is executed to generate a second image of a second region on the semiconductor wafer. While executing the second swath, run-time alignment of the semiconductor wafer is performed using the offset.