X-ray thin film inspection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10473598-B2
Application number	US-201415518892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 14, 2014
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

An X-ray thin film inspection device of the present invention includes an X-ray irradiation unit 40 installed on a first rotation arm 32, an X-ray detector 50 installed on a second rotation arm 33, and a fluorescence X-ray detector 60 for detecting fluorescence X-rays generated from an inspection target upon irradiation of X-rays. The X-ray irradiation unit 40 includes an X-ray optical element 43 comprising a confocal mirror for receiving X-rays radiated from an X-ray tube 42, reflects plural focused X-ray beams monochromatized at a specific wavelength and focuses the plural focused X-ray beams to a preset focal point, and a slit mechanism 46 for passing therethrough any number of focused X-ray beams out of the plural focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element 43.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An X-ray thin film inspection device comprising:
a sample stage having an upper surface on which an inspection target is disposed;
an image observing unit that is adapted to observe an image of the inspection target disposed on the upper surface of the sample stage;
a positioning mechanism that is controlled based on an image observation result of the inspection target by the image observing unit to move the sample stage in two directions perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane, the two directions being a height direction and an in-plane rotating direction;
a goniometer having a first rotation member and a second rotation member that rotate along a virtual flat plane perpendicular to the upper surface of the sample stage;
an X-ray irradiation unit installed on the first rotation member;
an X-ray detector installed on the second rotation member; and
a fluorescence X-ray detector that detects fluorescence X-rays generated from the inspection target upon irradiation of X-rays,
wherein the X-ray irradiation unit comprises:
an X-ray tube that radiates X-rays;
an X-ray optical element comprising a confocal mirror that receives X-rays radiated from the X-ray tube, reflects a plurality of focused X-ray beams monochromatized at a specific wavelength, and focuses the plurality of focused X-ray beams to a preset focal point; and
a slit mechanism that transmits therethrough an arbitrary number of focused X-ray beams out of the plurality of focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element.

2. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the X-ray irradiation unit has a configuration for adjusting rotation of the X-ray optical element around a center axis of the plurality of focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element.

3. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 2 , wherein the slit mechanism is provided with two shielding plates formed of a material for shielding X-rays, and configured to pass the arbitrary number of focused X-ray beams through a gap formed between the shielding plates, and has a function of freely adjusting the extent of the gap.

4. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 3 , wherein the X-ray optical element is configured to reflect four rectangular focused X-ray beams at four corners of a virtual rectangle when viewed in optical path directions of X-rays reflected from the X-ray optical element.

5. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 4 , wherein with respect to two focused X-ray beams passing through the gap of the shielding plates out of the four focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element, positional relationship of optical paths of the two focused X-ray beams is adjusted so as to make the two focused X-ray beams incident to an inspection target face of the inspection target so that a virtual plane containing the two focused X-ray beams is parallel to the inspection target face when viewed in the directions of the optical paths of the two focused X-ray beams.

6. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 4 , wherein the slit mechanism is configured to pass only one of the four focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element through the gap of the shielding plates.

7. An X-ray thin film inspection device, comprising:
a sample stage having an upper surface on which an inspection target is disposed;
an image observing unit that is adapted to observe an image of the inspection target disposed on the upper surface of the sample stage;
a positioning mechanism that is controlled based on an image observation result of the inspection target by the image observing unit to move the sample stage in two directions perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane, the two directions being a height direction and an in-plane rotating direction;
a goniometer having a first rotation member and a second rotation member that rotate along a virtual flat plane perpendicular to the upper surface of the sample stage;
an X-ray irradiation unit installed on the first rotation member;
an X-ray detector installed on the second rotation member; and
a fluorescence X-ray detector that detects fluorescence X-rays generated from the inspection target upon irradiation of X-rays,
wherein the X-ray irradiation unit comprises:
an X-ray tube that radiates X-rays; and
an X-ray optical element that is configured so that a double curved monochromator crystal plate comprising a semiconductor single crystal plate with a reflection surface having a high-order curved surface of a tertiary or higher order curved surface is fixed to a support block, makes X-rays radiated from the X-ray tube incident to the reflection surface and reflects focused X-rays monochromatized at a specific wavelength.

8. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 7 , wherein the X-ray optical element is configured to be curved in a length direction thereof for setting of an X-ray acceptance angle, and also curved in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction for setting of the X-ray acceptance angle.

9. An X-ray thin film inspection device, comprising:
a sample stage having an upper surface on which an inspection target is disposed;
an image observing unit that is adapted to observe an image of the inspection target disposed on the upper surface of the sample stage;
a positioning mechanism that is controlled based on an image observation result of the inspection target by the image observing unit to move the sample stage in two directions perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane, the two directions being a height direction and an in-plane rotating direction;
a goniometer having a first rotation member and a second rotation member that rotate along a virtual flat plane perpendicular to the upper surface of the sample stage;
a plurality of X-ray irradiation units installed on the first rotation member;
an X-ray detector installed on the second rotation member; and
a fluorescence X-ray detector that detects fluorescence X-rays generated from the inspection target upon irradiation of X-rays,
wherein the X-ray irradiation units comprise a first X-ray irradiation unit and a second X-ray irradiation unit,
wherein the first X-ray irradiation unit comprises:
a first X-ray tube that radiates X-rays;
a first X-ray optical element comprising a confocal mirror that receives X-rays radiated from the X-ray tube, reflects a plurality of focused X-ray beams monochromatized at a specific wavelength, and focuses the plurality of focused X-ray beams to a preset focal point; and
a slit mechanism that transmits therethrough an arbitrary number of focused X-ray beams out of the plurality of focused X-ray beams reflected from the X-ray optical element,

wherein the second X-ray irradiation unit comprises:
a second X-ray tube that radiates X-rays; and
a second X-ray optical element that is configured so that a double curved monochromator crystal plate comprising a semiconductor single crystal plate with a reflection surface having a high-order curved surface of a tertiary or higher order curved surface is fixed to a support block, makes X-rays radiated from the X-ray tube incident to the reflection surface and reflects focused X-rays monochromatized at the specific wavelength, and

wherein the X-ray irradiation units are installed on the first rotation member to be arranged in juxtaposition with each other in a rotation direction.

10. The X-ray thin film inspection device according to claim 6 , wherein a one-dimensional X-ray detector is installed on the second rotation member, and an X-ray reflectivity measurement is performed by acquiri

Assignees

• Rigaku Denki Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ogata Kiyoshi
• YOSHIHARA Sei
• Kinefuchi Takao
• Umegaki Shiro
• Asano Shigematsu
• HORADA Katsutaka
• Yoshida Muneo
• Motono Hiroshi
• Takahashi Hideaki
• HIGUCHI Akifusa
• Omote Kazuhiko
• Ito Yoshiyasu
• Kawahara Naoki
• Nakano Asao

Classifications

• G01N23/223 Primary

  by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N2223/076

  X-ray fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N2223/61

  thin films, coatings · CPC title

• G01N2223/315

  monochromators · CPC title

• G01N23/203

  Measuring back scattering · CPC title