Charged particle beam device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11328897-B2
Application number	US-202016986369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2020
Priority date	Aug 30, 2019
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A charged particle beam device according to the present invention changes a signal amount of emitted charged particles by irradiating the sample with light due to irradiation under a plurality of light irradiation conditions, and determines at least any one of a material of the sample or a shape of the sample according to the changed signal amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charged particle beam device that irradiates a sample with a charged particle beam, the device comprising:
a charged particle source that irradiates the sample with primary charged particles;
a light source that emits light applied to the sample;
a detector that detects secondary charged particles generated from the sample by irradiating the sample with the primary charged particles;
a calculation unit that analyzes the sample by using the secondary charged particles detected by the detector;
a light irradiation control system that is capable of setting at least one or more of a condition in which the light source applies the light, a first light irradiation condition, and a second light irradiation condition;
a detection unit that detects the secondary charged particles emitted from the sample by the charged particle beam; and
an image processing unit that forms a secondary charged particle image based on a detection signal of the secondary charged particles,
wherein
the light source applies the light under the first light irradiation condition and the second light irradiation condition,
the light source detects a change in a signal amount of the secondary charged particles detected by the detector between the first light irradiation condition and the second light irradiation condition by irradiating the sample with the light, and
the calculation unit determines at least any one of a material of the sample or a shape of the sample according to the changed signal amount.

2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , wherein
the calculation unit determines a feature of the sample from the secondary charged particle image obtained under the first light irradiation condition and the secondary charged particle image obtained under the second light irradiation condition.

3. The charged particle beam device according to claim 2 , wherein
the detector acquires a first signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a first portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light,
the detector acquires a second signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a second portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light, and
the calculation unit determines the material of the sample in each of the first portion and the second portion by comparing the first signal amount with the second signal amount.

4. The charged particle beam device according to claim 2 , wherein
the detector acquires a first signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a first portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light,
the detector acquires a second signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a second portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light, and
the calculation unit determines at least any one of a film thickness and film quality of the sample in each of the first portion and the second portion according to a ratio of the first signal amount with the second signal amount when the first signal amount and the second signal amount are different by a determination threshold value or more.

5. The charged particle beam device according to claim 4 , wherein
the calculation unit determines, as the film quality, at least any one of a density of the material, whether or not defects or impurities of the sample occur, an electric resistance value of the sample, and a capacitance of the sample.

6. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , wherein
the light irradiation control system controls any one or more parameters of an average power of a laser, a pulse peak intensity, a pulse width, an irradiation period of a pulse, an irradiation area of the laser, a wavelength, and polarization.

7. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores first data that describes signal amount characteristics indicating the amount of change in the signal amount by applying the light for each combination of a material of the sample and a wavelength of the light,
wherein the calculation unit determines at least any one of a material of the sample or a shape of the sample at a portion irradiated with the light by comparing the signal amount characteristics described in the first data with the signal amount of the secondary charged particles detected by the detector.

8. The charged particle beam device according to claim 7 , wherein
the first data describes an irradiation signal amount indicating the signal amount when the light is applied for each material of the sample,
the detector acquires a first signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a first portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light,
the detector acquires a second signal amount of the secondary charged particles when a second portion of the sample is irradiated with the primary charged particles and the light, and
the calculation unit determines the material of the sample in each of the first portion and the second portion and calculates a thickness of the sample by referring to the irradiation signal amount described in the first data and referring to a ratio of the first signal amount to the second signal amount.

9. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores second data which describes a correspondence relationship between the number of photons of the light applied to the sample by the light source and the amount of destaticized charges removed from the sample by applying the light and third data which describes a correspondence relationship between the amount of destaticized charges and a film thickness of the sample,
wherein
the calculation unit calculates the number of photons by using the amount of change in the signal amount by irradiating the sample with the light, and acquires the amount of destaticized charges by referring to the second data by using the number of photons, and
the calculation unit acquires the film thickness by referring to the third data by using the amount of destaticized charges acquired by referring to the second data.

10. The charged particle beam device according to claim 9 , wherein
the charged particle source irradiates the sample with the primary charged particles until the signal amount of the secondary charged particles emitted from the sample is saturated,
the light source removes charges of the sample electrified by the primary charged particles by irradiating the sample with the light in a state in which the signal amount of the secondary charged particles is saturated, and
the calculation unit acquires the amount of destaticized charges removed from the sample by applying the light by the light source after the signal amount of the secondary charged particles is saturated.

11. The charged particle beam device according to claim 9 , wherein
the calculation unit calculates the number of photons by using the amount of change in surface potential of the sample by irradiating the sample with the light instead of using the amount of change in the signal amount by irradiating the sample with the light.

12. The charged particle beam device according to claim 11 , wherein
the calculation unit determines whether or not the sample is normal by determining at least any one of a density of the material, whether or not defects or impurities of the sample occur, an electric resistance value of the sample, and a capacitance of the sample.

13. The charged particle beam device according to claim 9 , where

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• SHOUJI Minami
• Tsuno Natsuki
• Shirasaki Yasuhiro
• Fukuda Muneyuki
• Takada Satoshi

Classifications

• H01J2237/2817

  Pattern inspection · CPC title

• H01J37/222

  Image processing arrangements associated with the tube · CPC title

• G01N2223/507

  secondary-emission detector · CPC title

• G01N2223/07

  secondary emission · CPC title

• H01J37/228

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