公开(公告)号：US11703767B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-18

申请号：US17487784

申请日：2021-09-28

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Inna Steely-Tarshish ,  Stefan Eyring ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Yoel Feier ,  Eitan Hajaj ,  Ulrich Pohlmann ,  Nadav Gutman ,  Chris Steely ,  Raviv Yohanan ,  Ira Naot

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70683

Abstract: Electron beam overlay targets and method of performing overlay measurements on a target using a semiconductor metrology tool are provided. One target includes a plurality of electron beam overlay elements and a plurality of two-dimensional elements that provide at least one two-dimensional imaging. The plurality of two dimensional elements are an array of evenly-spaced polygonal gratings across at least three rows and at least three columns. Another target includes a plurality of electron beam overlay elements and a plurality of AIMid elements. Each of the electron beam overlay elements includes at least two gratings that are overlaid at a perpendicular orientation to each other. The plurality of AIMid elements includes at least two gratings that are overlaid at a perpendicular orientation to each other.

公开(公告)号：US20220415725A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17487842

申请日：2021-09-28

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Inna Steely-Tarshish ,  Stefan Eyring ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Yoel Feler ,  Eitan Hajaj ,  Ulrich Pohlmann ,  Nadav Gutman ,  Chris Steely ,  Raviv Yohanan ,  Ira Naot

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L23/544

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a target and a method of performing overlay measurements on a target. The target includes an array of cells comprising a first cell, a second cell, a third cell, and a fourth cell. Each cell includes a periodic structure with a pitch. The periodic structure includes a first section and a second section, separated by a first gap. The target further includes an electron beam overlay target, such that electron beam overlay measurements, advanced imaging metrology, and/or scatterometry measurements can be performed on the target.

公开(公告)号：US20240094639A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-21

申请号：US17948151

申请日：2022-09-19

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Nadav Gutman ,  Dana Klein ,  Slawomir Czerkas ,  Yossi Simon ,  Frank Laske ,  Mirko Wittkoetter

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: G03F7/70625 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  H01L22/12

Abstract: A metrology system may include an optical metrology sub-system to generate optical metrology measurements of optical metrology based on features of the optical metrology targets associated with at least one optical pitch and an additional metrology sub-system to generate additional metrology measurements of the optical metrology targets, where the additional metrology measurements have a higher resolution than the optical metrology measurements, and where the additional metrology sub-system further measures deviations of the optical metrology targets from a reference design. The system may further include a controller to generate accuracy measurements for the optical metrology targets based on the measurements, identify variations of a lithography process based on the deviations, correlate the accuracy measurements to the variations, and adjust at least one of the optical metrology sub-system, a lithography tool, or the reference design based on the correlations.

公开(公告)号：US11698251B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-11

申请号：US17137840

申请日：2020-12-30

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Nadav Gutman ,  Alexander Kuznetsov ,  Antonio Arion Gellineau

IPC: G01B15/00 ,  G03F7/00 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G01B15/02 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H10B10/00

CPC classification number: G01B15/00 ,  G01B15/02 ,  G03F7/70516 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  H01L22/12 ,  H01L22/20 ,  G01B2210/56 ,  H01L21/0276 ,  H10B10/12

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing overlay and edge placement errors based on Soft X-Ray (SXR) scatterometry measurement data are presented herein. Short wavelength SXR radiation focused over a small illumination spot size enables measurement of design rule targets or in-die active device structures. In some embodiments, SXR scatterometry measurements are performed with SXR radiation having energy in a range from 10 to 5,000 electronvolts. As a result, measurements at SXR wavelengths permit target design at process design rules that closely represents actual device overlay. In some embodiments, SXR scatterometry measurements of overlay and shape parameters are performed simultaneously from the same metrology target to enable accurate measurement of Edge Placement Errors. In another aspect, overlay of aperiodic device structures is estimated based on SXR measurements of design rule targets by calibrating the SXR measurements to reference measurements of the actual device target.

公开(公告)号：US11592755B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-28

申请号：US17219869

申请日：2021-03-31

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Amnon Manassen ,  Andrew Hill ,  Yonatan Vaknin ,  Yossi Simon ,  Daria Negri ,  Vladimir Levinski ,  Yuri Paskover ,  Anna Golotsvan ,  Nachshon Rothman ,  Nireekshan K. Reddy ,  Nir BenDavid ,  Avi Abramov ,  Dror Yaacov ,  Yoram Uziel ,  Nadav Gutman

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G02B27/28 ,  H04N5/225

Abstract: A method for metrology includes directing at least one illumination beam to illuminate a semiconductor wafer on which at least first and second patterned layers have been deposited in succession, including a first target feature in the first patterned layer and a second target feature in the second patterned layer, overlaid on the first target feature. A sequence of images of the first and second target features is captured while varying one or more imaging parameters over the sequence. The images in the sequence are processed in order to identify respective centers of symmetry of the first and second target features in the images and measure variations in the centers of symmetry as a function of the varying image parameters. The measured variations are applied in measuring an overlay error between the first and second patterned layers.

公开(公告)号：US20220413395A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17487784

申请日：2021-09-28

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Inna Steely-Tarshish ,  Stefan Eyring ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Yoel Feler ,  Eitan Hajaj ,  Ulrich Pohlmann ,  Nadav Gutman ,  Chris Steely ,  Raviv Yohanan ,  Ira Naot

IPC: G03F7/20

Abstract: Electron beam overlay targets and method of performing overlay measurements on a target using a semiconductor metrology tool are provided. One target includes a plurality of electron beam overlay elements and a plurality of two-dimensional elements that provide at least one two-dimensional imaging. The plurality of two dimensional elements are an array of evenly-spaced polygonal gratings across at least three rows and at least three columns. Another target includes a plurality of electron beam overlay elements and a plurality of AIMid elements. Each of the electron beam overlay elements includes at least two gratings that are overlaid at a perpendicular orientation to each other. The plurality of AIMid elements includes at least two gratings that are overlaid at a perpendicular orientation to each other.

公开(公告)号：US12100574B2

公开(公告)日：2024-09-24

申请号：US16918242

申请日：2020-07-01

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： Nadav Gutman ,  Oliver Ache ,  Carey Phelps

IPC: H01J37/22 ,  G03F7/00 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/28

CPC classification number: H01J37/222 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70683 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01J2237/24475 ,  H01J2237/24578

Abstract: An overlay target includes a grating-over-grating structure with a bottom grating structure disposed on a specimen and a top grating structure disposed on the bottom grating structure. The overlay target further includes a calibration scan location including the bottom grating structure but not the top grating structure and an overlay scan location including the top grating structure and the bottom grating structure.

公开(公告)号：US20240142883A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-02

申请号：US18335628

申请日：2023-06-15

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Nireekshan K. Reddy ,  Arvind Jayaraman ,  Stilian Ivanov Pandev ,  Amnon Manassen ,  Boaz Ophir ,  Udi Shusterman ,  Nadav Gutman

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/706841 ,  G03F7/706847

Abstract: One or more optical images of a portion of a semiconductor wafer are obtained. The one or more optical images show a first structure in a first process layer and a second structure in a second process layer. The one or more optical images are provided to a machine-learning model trained to estimate an overlay offset between the first structure and the second structure. An estimated overlay offset between the first structure and the second structure is obtained from the machine-learning model.

公开(公告)号：US20230400780A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-14

申请号：US18114451

申请日：2023-02-27

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Amnon Manassen ,  Andrew V. Hill ,  Yonatan Vaknin ,  Yossi Simon ,  Daria Negri ,  Vladimir Levinski ,  Yuri Paskover ,  Anna Golotsvan ,  Nachshon Rothman ,  Nireekshan K. Reddy ,  Nir BenDavid ,  Avi Abramov ,  Dror Yaacov ,  Yoram Uziel ,  Nadav Gutman

IPC: G03F7/00 ,  G02B27/28 ,  H04N23/56

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G02B27/283 ,  G03F7/70641 ,  H04N23/56

Abstract: A method for metrology includes directing at least one illumination beam to illuminate a semiconductor wafer on which at least first and second patterned layers have been deposited in succession, including a first target feature in the first patterned layer and a second target feature in the second patterned layer, overlaid on the first target feature. A sequence of images of the first and second target features is captured while varying one or more imaging parameters over the sequence. The images in the sequence are processed in order to identify respective centers of symmetry of the first and second target features in the images and measure variations in the centers of symmetry as a function of the varying image parameters. The measured variations are applied in measuring an overlay error between the first and second patterned layers.

公开(公告)号：US11409205B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-09

申请号：US16964734

申请日：2020-06-25

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： Itay Gdor ,  Yuval Lubashevsky ,  Yuri Paskover ,  Yoram Uziel ,  Nadav Gutman

IPC: G03F9/00 ,  G03F7/20

Abstract: A target for use in the measurement of misregistration between layers formed on a wafer in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the target including a first pair of periodic structures (FPPS) and a second pair of periodic structures (SPPS), each of the FPPS and the SPPS including a first edge, a second edge, a plurality of first periodic structures formed in a first area as part of a first layer and having a first pitch along a first pitch axis, the first pitch axis not being parallel to either of the first edge or second edge, and a plurality of second periodic structures formed in a second area as part of a second layer and having the first pitch along a second pitch axis, the second pitch axis being generally parallel to the first pitch axis.