公开(公告)号：US20250005435A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-02

申请号：US18217290

申请日：2023-06-30

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhaxylyk Kudyshev ,  Chao Chang ,  Derrick A. Shaughnessy

IPC: G06N20/00

Abstract: A system may include a controller including processors configured to execute program instructions causing the processors to implement a measurement recipe by: generating a transformation model for transforming full loop optical measurement data to short loop optical measurement data, wherein the short loop optical measurement data includes optical measurement data of periodic memory array structures, wherein the full loop optical measurement data includes optical measurement data of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) under array (CuA) devices, the CuA devices including CMOS structures beneath duplicates of the periodic memory array structures; generating a measurement model for determining measurements of the CuA devices; receiving full loop optical measurement data for CuA devices test samples; converting the full loop optical measurement data to short loop optical measurement data using the transformation model; and determining values of the measurements of the periodic memory array structures on the test samples using the measurement model.

公开(公告)号：US20240377758A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18196219

申请日：2023-05-11

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  HaoMiao Chang ,  Teng Gu ,  Tianrong Zhan ,  Andrew Lagodzinski ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G03F7/00

Abstract: An inspection system includes a controller including a memory maintaining program instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the program instructions. The program instructions cause the one or more processors to generate a geometric model of a structure of a sample, generate an optical response function model of the structure of the sample to illumination based at least in part on the geometric model, receive measured data from a detector, generate a parametric sub-structure model based on at least the optical response function model and the measured data, and extract one or more parameters of the structure based on the measured data.

公开(公告)号：US11573077B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-07

申请号：US17338449

申请日：2021-06-03

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Aaron Rosenberg ,  Kai-Hsiang Lin ,  Dawei Hu ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01B11/06 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L29/10 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01B11/16 ,  G01L1/24

Abstract: Methods and systems for measuring optical properties of transistor channel structures and linking the optical properties to the state of strain are presented herein. Optical scatterometry measurements of strain are performed on metrology targets that closely mimic partially manufactured, real device structures. In one aspect, optical scatterometry is employed to measure uniaxial strain in a semiconductor channel based on differences in measured spectra along and across the semiconductor channel. In a further aspect, the effect of strain on measured spectra is decorrelated from other contributors, such as the geometry and material properties of structures captured in the measurement. In another aspect, measurements are performed on a metrology target pair including a strained metrology target and a corresponding unstrained metrology target to resolve the geometry of the metrology target under measurement and to provide a reference for the estimation of the absolute value of strain.

公开(公告)号：US20250123225A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-17

申请号：US18613874

申请日：2024-03-22

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan ,  HaoMiao Chang ,  Valeria Dimastrodonato ,  Anderson Chou ,  Boxue Chen

IPC: G01N23/2251

Abstract: An inspection system may receive first measurement data of training samples after a first process step with an in-line measurement sub-system, where the first process step is prior to fabrication of a test feature on the one or more training samples; and receive second measurement data of the test feature after a second process step, where the second process step is after fabrication of the test feature. An inspection system may determine delta metrics associated with the first and second measurement data for the test feature. An inspection system may generate a measurement model for determining metrology measurements of the test feature based on at least one of the second measurement data or the delta metrics. An inspection system may determine values of the metrology measurements for additional instances of the test feature based on at least one of the second measurement data or the delta metrics.

公开(公告)号：US20250053096A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-13

申请号：US18231181

申请日：2023-08-07

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Tianrong Zhan ,  Jonathan Iloreta ,  Teng Gu ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov

IPC: G03F7/00

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating measurement models of complex semiconductor structures based on re-useable, parametric models are presented herein. In some embodiments, the re-useable, parametric models enable measurement of high aspect ratio (HAR) structures having complex shape profiles. In these embodiments, a re-useable, parametric model includes multiple geometric sections each characterized by a different shape profile. Each shape profile is parameterized by at least one shape parameter. In a further aspect, at least one of the multiple geometric sections includes a plurality of subsections. In some other embodiments, the re-useable, parametric models enable measurement of nanowire based semiconductor structures. The re-useable, parametric models described herein are useful for generating measurement models for both optical metrology and x-ray metrology, e.g., soft x-ray metrology and hard x-ray metrology. The resulting measurement models yield more accurate measurement results with improved robustness.

公开(公告)号：US20250012734A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-09

申请号：US18743118

申请日：2024-06-14

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Zhengquan Tan ,  Houssam Chouaib ,  Anderson Chou

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

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing multiple pass optical measurements of semiconductor structures are presented herein. A measurement beam is incident on the surface of a semiconductor wafer more than once. In some embodiments, the measurement beam is incident multiple times at the same measurement site on the semiconductor wafer in an optical path between the illumination source and the detector. In some other embodiments, the measurement beam is incident at different measurement sites on the semiconductor wafer in an optical path between the illumination source and the detector. In these embodiments, an instance of the same nominal structure under measurement is fabricated at each different measurement site. In a further aspect, an optical modulation element is disposed in the measurement path. In another further aspect, multiple pass measurements using different combinations of optical modulation targets are combined in a multi-target measurement to further enhance measurement sensitivity and break correlations.

公开(公告)号：US11796390B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-24

申请号：US17856660

申请日：2022-07-01

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Tianhan Wang ,  Aaron Rosenberg ,  Dawei Hu ,  Alexander Kuznetsov ,  Manh Dang Nguyen ,  Stilian Pandev ,  John Lesoine ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Liequan Lee ,  Houssam Chouaib ,  Ming Di ,  Torsten R. Kaack ,  Andrei V. Shchegrov ,  Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01J3/18 ,  G01J3/28 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/25 ,  G01N21/88 ,  G01N21/84

CPC classification number: G01J3/18 ,  G01J3/28 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/25 ,  G01N21/55 ,  G01N21/8422 ,  G01N21/8851 ,  G01N21/956 ,  G01J2003/2836 ,  G01N2021/8883

Abstract: A spectroscopic metrology system includes a spectroscopic metrology tool and a controller. The controller generates a model of a multilayer grating including two or more layers, the model including geometric parameters indicative of a geometry of a test layer of the multilayer grating and dispersion parameters indicative of a dispersion of the test layer. The controller further receives a spectroscopic signal of a fabricated multilayer grating corresponding to the modeled multilayer grating from the spectroscopic metrology tool. The controller further determines values of the one or more parameters of the modeled multilayer grating providing a simulated spectroscopic signal corresponding to the measured spectroscopic signal within a selected tolerance. The controller further predicts a bandgap of the test layer of the fabricated multilayer grating based on the determined values of the one or more parameters of the test layer of the fabricated structure.