Metrology targets with supplementary structures in an intermediate layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10551749-B2
Application number	US-201715442111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

Metrology targets, production processes and optical systems are provided, which enable metrology of device-like targets. Supplementary structure(s) may be introduced in the target to interact optically with the bottom layer and/or with the top layer of the target and target cells configurations enable deriving measurements of device-characteristic features. For example, supplementary structure(s) may be designed to yield Moiré patterns with one or both layers, and metrology parameters may be derived from these patterns. Device production processes were adapted to enable production of corresponding targets, which may be measured by standard or by provided modified optical systems, configured to enable phase measurements of the Moiré patterns.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A metrology target comprising:
a top layer having a top periodic structure;
a bottom layer having a bottom periodic structure; and
at least one supplementary structure between the bottom layer and the top layer, configured to interact optically with at least one of the bottom periodic structure and the top periodic structure such that a Moiré pattern is generated using the supplementary structure, wherein the at least one supplementary structure is fabricated of a different material than the bottom layer.

2. The metrology target of claim 1 , wherein the bottom periodic structure comprises a plurality of periodic multiply patterned elements, and wherein the at least one supplementary structure is configured to interact optically with the bottom periodic structure.

3. The metrology target of claim 2 , wherein the multiply patterned elements comprise recurring sets of corresponding elements, and wherein the bottom periodic structure comprises multiple cells, each of the cells lacking one of the multiply patterned elements in the recurring set.

4. The metrology target of claim 1 , wherein the bottom and top periodic structures have a same pitch and wherein the at least one supplementary structure has a pitch that is different from the same pitch to an extent that generates a detectable Moiré pattern between the periodic structures.

5. The metrology target of claim 4 , configured as an imaging target having at least a first cell with the top and supplementary structures and a second cell with the bottom and supplementary structures.

6. The metrology target of claim 4 , configured as scatterometry overlay (SCOL) target comprising the at least one supplementary structure with the bottom and top layers in at least one cell.

7. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising at least two SCOL cells having opposite designed offsets between the top periodic structure and the bottom periodic structure and at least one imaging cell lacking the top periodic structure and having at least three supplementary structures, two of which having opposite offsets and one of which having no offset of the supplementary structure with respect to the bottom periodic structure.

8. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising at least one imaging cell having at least three supplementary structures, two of which having opposite offsets and one of which having no offset of the supplementary structure with respect to the bottom periodic structure.

9. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising at least two imaging cells, each having at least three supplementary structures, two of which having opposite offsets and one of which having no offset of the supplementary structure with respect to the bottom periodic structure, wherein in one of the imaging cells the supplementary structure is configured to form a detectable Moiré pattern with the bottom periodic structure and in another one of the imaging cells the supplementary structure is configured to form a detectable Moiré pattern with the top periodic structure.

10. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising an array of imaging cells, each cell having different combinations of designed offsets between the at least one supplementary structure and the top and bottom periodic structures.

11. The metrology target of claim 10 , wherein the array comprises at least nine cells with all combinations of opposite and zero designed offsets between the structures.

12. The metrology target of claim 10 , wherein the array comprises at least five cells, each cell having no offset or a single one of opposite offsets between the bottom periodic structure and one of the supplementary structure and the top periodic structure.

13. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising at least two imaging cells, each having at least three supplementary structures, two of which having opposite offsets and one of which having no offset of the supplementary structure with respect to the bottom periodic structure, wherein in one of the imaging cells the offset is between the supplementary structure and the bottom periodic structure and in another one of the imaging cells offset is between the top periodic structure and the bottom periodic structure.

14. The metrology target of claim 1 , comprising at least two SCOL cell pairs having opposite designed offsets, one pair having the designed offsets between the top periodic structure and the bottom periodic structure, and another pair lacking the top periodic structure and having the designed offsets between the supplementary structure and the bottom periodic structure.

15. The metrology target of claim 1 , wherein the bottom periodic structure has periodic multiply patterned elements each with a width that is narrower than a width of the supplementary structure.

16. The metrology target of claim 1 , wherein the bottom periodic structure is made of FinFET elements.

17. A method comprising:
providing a metrology target including:
a top layer having a top periodic structure;
a bottom layer having a bottom periodic structure; and
at least one supplementary structure between the bottom layer and the top layer, configured to interact optically with at least one of the bottom periodic structure and the top periodic structure such that a Moiré pattern is generated using the supplementary structure, wherein the at least one supplementary structure is fabricated of a different material than the bottom layer; and

performing metrology measurements on the metrology target.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the supplementary structure interacts optically with multiply patterned elements in the bottom periodic structure.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising removing, selectively and periodically, specified multiply patterned elements to yield a modified multiply patterned layer and deriving metrology measurements from the interaction of the at least one supplementary structure with the modified multiply patterned layer.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising introducing designed offsets between the at least one supplementary structure and the top and bottom periodic structures and using paired designed offsets with opposite signs.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising designing three layered SCOL cells and two layered imaging cells, the latter lacking the top periodic structure.

22. The method of claim 17 , further comprising configuring the at least one supplementary structure to yield a detectable Moiré pattern with at least one of the top and bottom periodic structures.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising configuring the at least one supplementary structure to yield detectable Moiré patterns with both the top and the bottom periodic structures.

24. The method of claim 17 , further comprising producing the at least one supplementary structure within a device production process, by one or more hard mask exposures.

25. The method of claim 17 , further comprising depositing two or more substances to generate the at least one supplementary structure.

26. The method of claim 24 , further comprising modifying parameters of supplementary structure elements using recurring etching and deposition.

27. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one supplementary structure is configured to yield a detectable Moire pattern with at least one of the top and bottom periodic structures, the method further com

Assignees

• Kla Tencor Corp

Inventors

• Levinski Vladimir
• Manassen Amnon
• Amit Eran
• Amir Nuriel
• Yerushalmi Liran
• Shaked Amit

Classifications

• G03F7/70683

  Mark designs · CPC title

• G03F7/70633

  Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching · CPC title

• G03F7/70625 Primary

  Dimensions, e.g. line width, critical dimension [CD], profile, sidewall angle or edge roughness · CPC title