Method of inspecting semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10559506-B2
Application number	US-201816113554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2018
Priority date	Dec 26, 2017
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A method of inspecting a semiconductor device including setting a target place on a wafer, the target place including a deep trench, forming a first cut surface by performing first milling on the target place in a first direction, obtaining first image data of the first cut surface, forming a second cut surface by performing second milling on the target place in a second direction opposite to the first direction, obtaining second image data of the second cut surface, obtaining a plurality of first critical dimension (CD) values for the deep trench from the first image data, obtaining a plurality of second CD values for the deep trench from the second image data, analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench based on the first CD values and the second CD values, and providing the semiconductor device meeting a condition based on results of the analyzing may be provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inspecting a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
setting at least one target place on a wafer, the target place including at least one deep trench;
forming a first cut surface by performing first milling on the target place in a first direction;
obtaining first image data of the first cut surface;
forming a second cut surface by performing second milling on the target place in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
obtaining second image data of the second cut surface;
obtaining a plurality of first critical dimension (CD) values for the deep trench from the first image data;
obtaining a plurality of second CD values for the deep trench from the second image data;
analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench based on the plurality of first CD values and the plurality of second CD values; and
providing the semiconductor device meeting a condition based on results of the analyzing.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing rock-milling in a third direction, which is at a certain angle to the first direction, subsequent the forming a first cut surface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining first image data comprises obtaining a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the first cut surface in the first direction.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming a second cut surface comprises rotating the wafer by 180 degrees.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing rock-milling in a fourth direction, which is at a certain angle to the second direction, subsequent to the forming a second cut surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining second image data comprises obtaining an SEM image of the second cut surface in the second direction.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing rotation correction on the first image data by measuring positions of two points in the first image data in a vertical direction, the vertical direction being a depth direction of the deep trench; and
performing rotation correction on the second image data by measuring positions of two points in the second image data in the vertical direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the obtaining a plurality of first CD values comprises obtaining a CD value for a width of a cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface in a first-axis direction, and
the obtaining a plurality of second CD values comprises obtaining a CD value for a width of a cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface in the first-axis direction.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein
the obtaining a plurality of first CD values further comprises obtaining a position of a first center point of the cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface in the first-axis direction, and
the obtaining a plurality of second CD values further comprises obtaining a position of a second center point of the cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface in the first-axis direction.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench comprises analyzing the degree of bending of the deep trench based on an average value of the CD value for the width of the cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface in the first-axis direction and the CD value for the width of the cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface in the first-axis direction.

11. A method of inspecting a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
loading a wafer onto a stage of an inspection device, the wafer including at least one deep trench;
forming a first cut surface by performing first milling on the wafer in a first direction;
first-rotating the stage by a first angle subsequent to the forming a first cut surface;
performing rock-milling in a second direction, the second direction being at an angle to the first direction, subsequent to first-rotating the stage;
obtaining first image data by taking an SEM photograph of the first cut surface in the first direction;
second-rotating the stage by 180 degrees;
forming a second cut surface by performing second milling in a third direction opposite to the first direction subsequent to the second-rotating the stage;
performing rock-milling in a fourth direction, the fourth direction being at an angle to the third direction, subsequent to the second-rotating the stage;
obtaining second image data by taking an SEM photograph of the second cut surface in the third direction;
analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench based on the first image data and the second image data; and
providing the semiconductor device meeting a condition based on results of the analyzing.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
obtaining a plurality of first CD values for the deep trench from the first image data; and
obtaining a plurality of second CD values for the deep trench from the second image data,
wherein the analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench comprises analyzing the degree of bending of the deep trench based on the plurality of first CD values and the plurality of second CD values.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein
the obtaining a plurality of first CD values comprises obtaining a CD value for a width of a cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface in a horizontal direction, the horizontal direction being a direction perpendicular to a depth direction of the deep trench, and
the obtaining a plurality of second CD values comprises obtaining a CD value for a width of a cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface in the horizontal direction.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the obtaining a plurality of first CD values further comprises obtaining a position of a first center point of the cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface in the horizontal direction, and
the obtaining a plurality of second CD values further comprises obtaining a position of a second center point of the cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface in the horizontal direction.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
performing rotation correction on the first image data by measuring positions of two points in the first image data in a depth direction of the deep trench; and
performing rotation correction on the second image data by measuring positions of two points in the second image data in the depth direction of the deep trench.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the analyzing a degree of bending of the deep trench comprises analyzing the degree of bending of the deep trench based on one or more first CD values, from among the plurality of the first CD values, corresponding to widths of a cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface and one or more second CD values, from among the plurality of the second CD values, corresponding to widths of a cross-section of the deep trench in the second cut surface.

17. A method of inspecting a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
setting at least one target place on a wafer, the target place including at least one deep trench;
obtaining first image data of a first cut surface of the target place in a first direction;
obtaining second image data of a second cut surface of the target place in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction;
obtaining a first CD value for a width of a cross-section of the deep trench in the first cut surface and a position of a first center point of the cross-section of the

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Min Kook
• Kim Jun Chul
• Um Myung Suk
• Yang Yu Sin
• Yim Ye Ny

Classifications

• H10P74/23

  characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes · CPC title

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P50/20

  Dry etching; Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching · CPC title

• H10P74/203 Primary

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

• G06T2207/10061

  from scanning electron microscope · CPC title