公开(公告)号：US20250105064A1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-27

申请号：US18887461

申请日：2024-09-17

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Zhengquan Tan

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H01L29/775

Abstract: Methods and systems for measurement of an expected electrical performance of a semiconductor device after device formation is complete based on structural measurements of the device in a partially fabricated state are described herein. In a further aspect, process parameters associated with a process step are adjusted based on the predicted electrical performance to improve process yield. In this manner, process parameters are tuned without having to wait several weeks for electrical performance test measurements to occur at the end of a process flow. In preferred embodiments, a Multiple Reflection Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (MRSE) system is employed to perform structural measurements of a semiconductor device in a partially fabricated state to predict electrical performance of the device at the end of the device fabrication process flow. MRSE based measurements are performed at one or more critical process steps where the structural measurements correlate strongly with final electrical performance.

公开(公告)号：US20240151770A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-09

申请号：US18210547

申请日：2023-06-15

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan ,  Derrick Shaughnessy

IPC: G01R31/308

CPC classification number: G01R31/308

Abstract: Methods and systems measuring structural parameters characterizing a measurement target based on changes in measurement signal values and estimated changes in electrical properties, optical properties, or both, of the measurement target due to perturbation of the properties are presented herein. The electrical and optical properties of a measurement target are perturbed by inducing changes in an electric field within the measurement target under measurement. In preferred embodiments, the changes in the electric field are induced by directing a modulated beam of illumination light at the measurement target under measurement. Both the changes in the measurement signal values and estimated changes in the electrical, properties, optical properties, or both, of the measurement target are quantified and provided as input to a measurement model. In this manner, the measurement is based on the derivatives of measurement signals with respect to electrical properties, optical properties, or both.

公开(公告)号：US20210293532A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-23

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: G01B11/16 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G03F7/20 ,  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：US20250110042A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-03

申请号：US18646553

申请日：2024-04-25

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Zhengquan Tan

IPC: G01N21/21 ,  G01N21/31

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of semiconductor structures with a collection NA resolved at the detector are presented herein. The collection NA defines a small measurement box size. Resolving the collection NA at the detector dramatically increases measurement sensitivity. In some examples, the collection NA is subdivided into 50-100 subranges at the detector. In some embodiments, a spectroscopic ellipsometer employing angle-resolved detection of the collection NA includes a coherent illumination source with high spectral intensity across a range of wavelengths from 400 nanometers to 2,500 nanometers. In some embodiments, the illumination beam is scanned over the surface of the specimen under measurement at high frequency during measurement. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements with detector resolved collection NA enable critical dimension, shape and profile measurements, and film measurements of deep structures fabricated in accordance with current semiconductor fabrication nodes and those contemplated for fabrication at future semiconductor fabrication nodes.

公开(公告)号：US20220349752A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-03

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

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.

公开(公告)号：US11060846B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-13

申请号：US16660492

申请日：2019-10-22

Applicant: KLA Corporation

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

IPC: G01B11/06 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L29/10

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：US20250146893A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-08

申请号：US18936993

申请日：2024-11-04

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： Houssam Chouaib ,  Zhengquan Tan ,  Shova Subedi ,  Shankar Krishnan ,  David Y. Wang ,  Oleg Shulepov ,  Kevin Peterlinz ,  Natalia Malkova ,  Dawei Hu ,  Carlos Ygartua ,  Isvar Cordova ,  Eric Cheek ,  Roman Sappey ,  Anderson Chou

IPC: G01L1/24 ,  G01B11/06 ,  G01B11/24

Abstract: A workpiece is measured using multiple-pass spectroscopic ellipsometry and multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy, which may be performed in the same system. These measurements are combined to form combined measured data. A stress measurement of the workpiece is determined using the combined measured data. The stress measurement can be determined using a model or a machine learning algorithm.

公开(公告)号：US20250053098A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-13

申请号：US18793570

申请日：2024-08-02

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Zhengquan Tan ,  Houssam Chouaib

IPC: G03F7/00

Abstract: A metrology system may include a light source to generate an illumination beam and a spectral metrology sub-system configured to direct the illumination beam to a sample and collect sample light from the sample. The spectral metrology sub-system may include illumination optics with at least one of an illumination polarizer or an illumination compensator, and collection optics with at least one of a collection polarizer or a collection compensator. The metrology system may include a shearing grating to shear the sample light from the collection optics into two sheared beams, and a spectrometer to generate measurement data of the sample on a multi-pixel detector based on the two sheared beams, where the measurement data is both spectrally resolved and has spatially varying components on a length scale smaller than a spot size of the illumination beam. The system may further generate metrology measurements based on the measurement data.

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.