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：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：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：US20250004384A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-02

申请号：US18217199

申请日：2023-06-30

Applicant: KLA Corporation

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

IPC: G03F7/00 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: A system, may include a controller configured to cause the processors to implement a measurement recipe by: receiving optical measurement data for training samples after a first process step for fabricating complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) under array (CuA) devices, wherein the CuA devices include first structures with a non-uniform spatial distribution; classifying the first structures into spatially-continuous regions based on unsupervised clustering; receiving optical measurement data for the training samples after a second process step, wherein the CuA devices after the second process step include periodic second structures above the first structures; developing effective medium models for the first structures; developing measurement models for determining measurements of the CuA devices; receiving optical measurement data for test samples after the second process step; and generating values of the metrology measurements of the second structures based on the optical measurement data for the test samples and the measurement models.

公开(公告)号：US20250004047A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-02

申请号：US18217236

申请日：2023-06-30

Applicant: KLA Corporation

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

IPC: G01R31/302

Abstract: A system may include a controller including one or more processors configured to execute program instructions causing the one or more processors to implement a measurement recipe by: receiving optical measurement data for training samples including complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) under array (CuA) devices, wherein the CuA devices include CMOS structures disposed beneath periodic memory array structures; developing a first measurement model for determining measurements of the CuA devices based on the optical measurement data, wherein the CMOS structures are modeled as a CMOS effective medium in the first measurement model; receiving reference data for the training samples; updating the first measurement model to a second measurement model that includes the values of dispersion parameters of the CMOS effective medium; receiving optical measurement data for test samples including CuA devices; and generating values of the one or more metrology measurements of the CuA devices based on the second measurement model.

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：US11099137B2

公开(公告)日：2021-08-24

申请号：US17006450

申请日：2020-08-28

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Aaron J. Rosenberg ,  Jonathan Iloreta ,  Thaddeus G. Dziura ,  Antonio Gellineau ,  Yin Xu ,  Kaiwen Xu ,  John Hench ,  Abhi Gunde ,  Andrei Veldman ,  Liequan Lee ,  Houssam Chouaib

IPC: G01N21/00 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H01L27/02 ,  H01L27/088 ,  H01L27/108 ,  G06T17/10 ,  G06T15/20 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L27/115 ,  G06F30/39

Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an augmented-reality or virtual-reality (AR/VR) image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the AR/VR image to an AR/VR viewing device for display.