公开(公告)号：US20250054726A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-13

申请号：US18231534

申请日：2023-08-08

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur ,  Gal Bruner

IPC: H01J37/22 ,  H01J37/147 ,  H01J37/28

Abstract: A method of determining a depth of a feature formed in a first region of a sample, by: positioning a test structure with known dimensions in a processing chamber having a charged particle column tilted at a first tilt angle and first rotational angle; determining the first tilt angle and first rotational angle by: taking an image of the test structure with the charged particle column tilted at the first tilt angle and the first rotational angle, measuring, based on the image, distances between multiple edges of the test structure aligned with each other along a vector, determining ratios between the measured distances, and determining a calculated tilt angle and a calculated rotational angle of charged particle column from the ratios and the known dimensions of the structure; transferring the test structure out of the processing chamber and positioning the sample in the processing chamber such that the first region is under a field of view of the charged particle column; taking a first image of the feature with the column tilted at the first tilt angle and first rotational angle and taking a second image of the feature with the column is tilted at a second tilt angle, different than the first tilt angle, and a second rotational angle; and using stereoscopic measurement techniques to determine the depth of the feature based on the first and second images and the calculated tilt angle and calculated rotational angle.

公开(公告)号：US20230343545A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-26

申请号：US17725023

申请日：2022-04-20

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/305

CPC classification number: H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01J2237/31749 ,  H01J2237/006

Abstract: A method of processing a region of a sample, the method comprising: positioning a sample within a vacuum chamber; generating an ion beam with a focused ion beam (FIB) column; focusing the ion beam on the sample and scanning the focused ion beam across the region of the sample thereby generating secondary electrons that are ejected from a surface of the sample within the region; and during the scanning, applying a negative bias voltage to an electrically conductive structure proximate the region to alter a trajectory of the secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface, wherein the electrically conductive structure is one of a gas injection nozzle, a voltage pin or a nano-manipulator.

公开(公告)号：US11636997B2

公开(公告)日：2023-04-25

申请号：US16919013

申请日：2020-07-01

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/30 ,  H01J37/31

Abstract: A method of evaluating a region of a sample that includes two or more sub-regions adjacent to each other that have different milling rates. The method can include: scanning a focused ion beam over the region during a single scan frame such that the ion beam is scanned over a first sub-region of the region having a first milling rate at a first scan rate and then scanned over a second sub-region of the region having a second milling rate at a second scan rate, where the second milling rate is faster than the first milling rate and second scan rate is faster than the first scan rate; and repeating the scanning process a plurality of times to etch the region to a desired depth.

公开(公告)号：US11525791B1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-13

申请号：US17347441

申请日：2021-06-14

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: G01N23/2252 ,  H01J37/04 ,  G01N23/2209

Abstract: A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy surface material analysis of a region of interest of a sample with an evaluation system that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, an x-ray detector and an x-ray polarizer, comprising: positioning a sample within a field of view of the scanning electron microscope; generating an electron beam having a landing energy about equal to an ionization energy of the materials within the region of interest of the sample; scanning the region of interest with the electron beam set to collide with the sample thereby generating x-rays emitted from near a surface of the sample, the x-rays including characteristic x-rays and Bremsstrahlung radiation; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the electron after the x-rays pass through the x-ray polarizer that blocks a higher percentage of the Bremsstrahlung radiation than the characteristic x-rays.

公开(公告)号：US12230473B2

公开(公告)日：2025-02-18

申请号：US17385459

申请日：2021-07-26

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/317 ,  C23C16/16 ,  C23C16/48 ,  H01J37/147 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/28 ,  H01L21/285

Abstract: A method of depositing material over a sample in a deposition region of the sample with a charged particle beam column, the method comprising: positioning a sample within a vacuum chamber such that the deposition region is under a field of view of the charged particle beam column; cooling the deposition region by contacting the sample with a cyro-nanomanipulator tool in an area adjacent to the deposition region; injecting a deposition precursor gas into the vacuum chamber at a location adjacent to the deposition region; generating a charged particle beam with a charged particle beam column and focusing the charged particle beam on the sample; and scanning the focused electron beam across the localized region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the sample surface in the deposition region and deposit material on the sample within the deposition region.

公开(公告)号：US20240212976A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-27

申请号：US18087648

申请日：2022-12-22

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/28 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/22 ,  H01J37/305

CPC classification number: H01J37/28 ,  H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/222 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01J2237/208 ,  H01J2237/2583 ,  H01J2237/31749

Abstract: A method of evaluating a region of interest of a sample with a sample evaluation tool that includes a focused ion beam (FIB) column, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, and an atomic force microscope (AFM) instrument, the method comprising: transferring the sample into in a vacuum chamber of the sample evaluation tool; acquiring a plurality of two-dimensional images of the region of interest over a plurality of iterations of a delayering process by: (a) positioning the region of interest under a field of view of the FIB column; (b) milling a layer of material from the region of interest with the FIB column; (c) moving the region of interest under a field of view of the SEM column; (d) imaging the region of interest with the SEM column and measuring a depth of the milled layer in the region of interest with the AFM instrument; and repeating steps (a)-(d) a plurality of times without removing the sample from the vacuum chamber.

公开(公告)号：US11887810B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US17725023

申请日：2022-04-20

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/305

CPC classification number: H01J37/20 ,  H01J37/3056 ,  H01J2237/006 ,  H01J2237/31749

Abstract: A method of processing a region of a sample, the method comprising: positioning a sample within a vacuum chamber; generating an ion beam with a focused ion beam (FIB) column; focusing the ion beam on the sample and scanning the focused ion beam across the region of the sample thereby generating secondary electrons that are ejected from a surface of the sample within the region; and during the scanning, applying a negative bias voltage to an electrically conductive structure proximate the region to alter a trajectory of the secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface, wherein the electrically conductive structure is one of a gas injection nozzle, a voltage pin or a nano-manipulator.

公开(公告)号：US11501951B1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-15

申请号：US17320526

申请日：2021-05-14

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Yehuda Zur ,  Alon Litman

IPC: H01J37/244 ,  H01J37/22 ,  G01N23/2252 ,  G01N23/2202

Abstract: A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy material analysis of a region of interest within a cross-section of a sample using an evaluation system that includes a focused ion beam (FIB) column, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, and an x-ray detector, including: forming a lamella having first and second opposing side surfaces in the sample by milling, with the FIB column, first and second trenches in the sample to expose the first and second sides surface of the lamella, respectively; depositing background material in the second trench, wherein the background material is selected such that the background material does not include any chemical elements that are expected to be within the region of interest of the sample; generating a charged particle beam with the SEM column and scanning the charged particle beam across a region of interest on the first side surface of the lamella such that the charged particle beam collides with the first side surface of the lamella at a non-vertical angle; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the charged particle beam.

公开(公告)号：US10971618B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-06

申请号：US16530331

申请日：2019-08-02

Applicant: Applied Materials Israel Ltd.

Inventor： Ron Davidescu ,  Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01L21/302 ,  H01L29/78 ,  H01L21/30 ,  H01L21/306

Abstract: A miller, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and a method for milling a multi-layered object. The method may include milling each structural element of an array of structural elements that are spaced apart from each other by gaps to provide the milled structural elements, wherein each milled structural element has a flat upper surface, wherein prior the milling each one of the structural elements of the array has a flat upper surface of a certain width, wherein the certain width is of a nanometric scale. The milling of each structural element of the array may include scanning a defocused ion beam of the certain width along a longitudinal axis of the structural element. A current intensity of the defocused ion beam decreases with a distance from a middle of the defocused ion beam.

公开(公告)号：US10903044B1

公开(公告)日：2021-01-26

申请号：US16789348

申请日：2020-02-12

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.

Inventor： Alon Litman ,  Konstantin Chirko ,  Yehuda Zur

IPC: H01J37/28 ,  H01L27/108 ,  H01L27/11556 ,  H01L27/11582

Abstract: A method of evaluating a region of a sample that includes an array of holes separated by solid portions. The method includes positioning the sample within in a vacuum chamber of an evaluation tool that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and a focused ion beam (FIB); injecting a deposition gas onto the sample; scanning, with a first charged particle beam, a portion of the sample that includes a plurality of holes in the array of holes to locally deposit material within the plurality of holes in the scanned portion from the deposition gas; and milling, with the FIB column, the portion of the sample that includes the plurality of holes in which the material was locally deposited.