System for inspecting and reviewing a sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10177048-B2
Application number	US-201514639003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2015
Priority date	Mar 4, 2015
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A system for inspecting and reviewing a sample, the system may include a chamber that is arranged to receive the sample and to maintain vacuum within the chamber during at least a scan period; an inspection unit; a review unit; and a mechanical stage for moving the sample, according to a scan pattern and during the scan period, in relation to the inspection unit and the review unit while a spatial relationship between the inspection unit and the review unit remains unchanged; wherein the inspection unit is arranged to detect, during the scan period, multiple suspected defects of the sample; and wherein the review unit is arranged to (a) receive, during the scan period, information about the multiple suspected defects; and (b) locate, during the scan period and in response to the information about the multiple suspected defects, at least one actual defect.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for inspecting and reviewing a sample, the system comprising:
a controller;
a chamber that is arranged to receive the sample and to maintain vacuum within the chamber during at least a scan period;
an inspection unit communicatively coupled to the controller, the inspection unit arranged to detect, during the scan period, multiple suspected defects of the sample in the chamber;
a review unit communicatively coupled to the controller, the review unit arranged to: (i) receive, during the scan period, information about the multiple suspected defects detected by the inspection unit, and (ii) locate, during the scan period and in response to the information about the multiple suspected defects, at least one actual defect of the sample in the chamber; and
a mechanical stage communicatively coupled to and controlled by the controller to move the sample in the chamber, according to a scan pattern and during the scan period, in relation to the inspection unit and the review unit,
wherein a spatial relationship between the inspection unit and the review unit remains unchanged during the scan period;
wherein the scan pattern includes a plurality of parallel scan lines;
wherein the review unit includes one or more columns, and wherein the inspection unit and at least one of the one or more columns are arranged along a line that is nonparallel to the plurality of parallel scan lines; and
wherein the one or more columns are operable to review, while the sample is moved by the mechanical stage according to the scan pattern, the suspected defects detected by the inspection unit according to a review scheme dynamically determined by the controller based on the scan pattern and information about the suspected defects detected by the inspection unit.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the inspection unit comprises optics that are arranged to scan the sample during the scan period with a photon beam and a column from the one or more columns of the review unit is arranged to scan the sample during the scan period with a charged particle beam.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the column is arranged to scan a location of a certain suspected defect out of the multiple suspected defects by deflecting the charged particle beam and at least partially countering the scan pattern.

4. The system according to claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the column and at least a portion of the optics are positioned within the chamber.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the inspection unit and the review unit are arranged to scan the sample during the scan period with charged particle beams.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein each column of the one or more columns is arranged to scan the sample during the scan period with a charged particle beam.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the inspection unit comprises optics that are arranged to scan the sample during the scan period with a photon beam.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an interface that is arranged to output information related to actual defects.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein:
the inspection unit comprises an objective lens, an illumination module, a dark field deflector, a beam splitter and a light sensor;
the chamber comprises a window and an opening;
the objective lens is positioned within the opening;
the illumination module, the beam splitter and light sensor are positioned outside the chamber;
the dark field deflector is positioned within the chamber;
the illumination module is arranged to: (i) direct a light beam towards the beam splitter when operating in a bright field operational mode, and (ii) direct a light beam through the window and towards the dark field deflector when operating in a dark field operational mode; and
the objective lens is arranged to: (i) receive a light beam from the beam splitter and direct the light beam towards the sample, and (ii) direct light emitted from the sample through the beam splitter and towards a light sensor.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein a distance between an optical axis of the inspection unit and an optical axis of the review unit does not exceed a diameter of the sample.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein a distance between an optical axis of the inspection unit and an optical axis of the review unit exceeds a diameter of the sample.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein a distance between an optical axis of the inspection unit and an optical axis of the review unit does not exceed 40 centimeters.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the inspection unit is arranged to scan the sample in compliance with the scan pattern and the review unit is arranged to scan areas of the sample that comprise at least a part of the multiple suspected defects while deviating from the scan pattern.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the review unit comprises at least one scanning electron microscope (SEM) column that is positioned with respect to the inspection unit such that the at least one SEM column is operable to review the sample at locations of interest on a scanning line which was previously scanned by the inspection unit.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the review unit comprises two columns, the inspection unit and the two columns positioned on three vertices of a triangle.

16. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the review scheme is further determined based on arrangement of the one or more columns.

17. A method for inspecting and reviewing a sample, the method comprising:
receiving, by a chamber, the sample;
maintaining vacuum within the chamber during at least a scan period;
moving, by a mechanical stage communicatively coupled to and controlled by a controller, the sample in the chamber, according to a scan pattern and during the scan period, in relation to an inspection unit and a review unit, wherein a spatial relationship between the inspection unit and the review unit remains unchanged during the scan period, and wherein the scan pattern includes a plurality of parallel scan lines;
detecting, by the inspection unit and during the scan period, multiple suspected defects of the sample in the chamber;
receiving, by the review unit and during the scan period, information about the multiple suspected defects; and
locating at least one actual defect of the sample in the chamber, by the review unit and the controller, during the scan period, and in response to the information about the multiple suspected defects, wherein the review unit includes one or more columns, and wherein the inspection unit and at least one of the one or more columns are arranged along a line that is nonparallel to the plurality of parallel scan lines such that the one or more columns are operable to review, while the sample is moved by the mechanical stage according to the scan pattern, the suspected defects detected by the inspection unit according to a review scheme dynamically determined by the controller based on the scan pattern, information about the suspected defects detected by the inspection unit, and arrangement of the one or more columns.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:
outputting information related to the at least one actual defect.

19. A system for inspecting and reviewing a sample, the system comprising:
a controller;
a chamber defining a substrate processing zone;
a vacuum system operatively coupled to the chamber to maintain vacuum wi

Assignees

• Applied Materials Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Frosien Juergen
• Levin Jacob
• Krivts (Krayvitz) Igor
• Uziel Yoram
• Golberg Boris

Classifications

• H10P74/203 Primary

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H01J37/265

  Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination · CPC title

• H01J37/292

  using scanning ray · CPC title

• H01J2237/2817

  Pattern inspection · CPC title

• H01J37/228

  whereby illumination or light collection take place in the same area of the discharge · CPC title