Device and method for analyzing a defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11733186-B2
Application number	US-202117220330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2021
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

The present application relates to a scanning probe microscope comprising a probe arrangement for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer, wherein the scanning probe microscope comprises: (a) at least one first probe embodied to analyze the at least one defect; (b) means for producing at least one mark, by use of which the position of the at least one defect is indicated on the mask or on the wafer; and (c) wherein the mark is embodied in such a way that it may be detected by a scanning particle beam microscope.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer using a measuring system, the measuring system comprising at least one scanning probe microscope and at least one scanning particle beam microscope, the method comprising:
a. analyzing the at least one defect using at least one probe of the at least one scanning probe microscope, wherein analyzing the at least one defect comprises determining topography data of the at least one defect;
b. producing at least one mark on the photolithographic mask or on the wafer using the at least one scanning probe microscope, wherein the at least one mark is embodied in a way that it can be detected by at least one particle beam of the at least one scanning particle beam microscope; and
c. detecting the at least one mark using the at least one particle beam of the at least one scanning particle beam microscope.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one defect comprises a defect which cannot be detected, or cannot be detected reliably, by the scanning particle beam microscope.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one mark is produced so close to the at least one defect that at least part of the defect and the at least one mark are arranged in a single scanning region of the scanning probe microscope.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the at least one defect comprises determining topography data of the at least one defect and position data of the at least one mark.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a repair template for the at least one defect from the topography data of the at least one defect.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising transferring the position data of the at least one mark and/or the topography data of the at least one defect and/or the repair template from the scanning probe microscope to the scanning particle beam microscope.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising correcting the at least one defect by use of the repair template, the at least one particle beam and at least one etching gas or at least one deposition gas.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising scanning the at least one defect and the at least one mark by use of the at least one particle beam of the scanning particle beam microscope.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising overlaying data of the particle beam scan on the position data of the at least one mark and the topography data of the at least one defect for determining a repair template for the at least one defect.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein producing the at least one mark comprises using design data of a photolithographic mask for determining a position to apply the at least one mark.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the at least one mark from the photolithographic mask or from the wafer using the at least one particle beam and at least one etching gas or at least one deposition gas.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the at least one mark from the photolithographic mask or from the wafer using a chemical cleaning process.

13. A measuring system for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer comprising:
a. at least one scanning probe microscope having a probe arrangement, wherein the probe arrangement comprises at least one first probe embodied to analyze the at least one defect, wherein analyzing the at least one defect comprises determining topography data of the at least one defect;
b. the at least one scanning probe microscope having means for producing at least one mark, by use of which a position of the at least one defect on the photolithographic mask or on the wafer is indicated; and
c. at least one scanning particle beam microscope embodied to detect the at least one mark.

14. The measuring system of claim 13 wherein the scanning particle beam microscope comprises an interface for receiving position data of the at least one mark and/or the topography data of the at least one defect and/or a repair template of the at least one defect.

15. The measuring system of claim 13 wherein the scanning particle beam microscope comprises a control unit embodied to scan at least one particle beam for detecting the at least one mark and the at least one defect over the photolithographic mask or the wafer.

16. The measuring system of claim 15 wherein the control unit of the scanning particle beam microscope is embodied to determine a repair template for the at least one defect from scanning data of the particle beam, the position data of the at least one mark and the topography data of the at least one defect.

17. The measuring system of claim 13 wherein the scanning particle beam microscope furthermore comprises:
a. at least one first storage container embodied to store at least one etching gas; and/or
b. at least one second storage container embodied to store at least one deposition gas; and/or
c. at least one supply system comprising at least one first valve for the at least one first storage container and at least one second valve for the at least one second storage container, wherein the supply system is embodied to provide the at least one etching gas and/or the at least one deposition gas at a position of the defect and of the at least one mark.

18. The measuring system of claim 17 wherein the scanning particle beam microscope comprises a control unit embodied to scan at least one particle beam for detecting the at least one mark and the at least one defect over the photolithographic mask or the wafer, and
wherein the control unit of the scanning particle beam microscope is further embodied, on the basis of a repair template, to control the at least one particle beam and the gas flow rate of the at least one etching gas or the gas flow rate of the at least one deposition gas for correcting the at least one defect.

19. The measuring system of claim 17 wherein the scanning particle beam microscope comprises a control unit embodied to scan at least one particle beam for detecting the at least one mark and the at least one defect over the photolithographic mask or the wafer, and
wherein the control unit of the scanning particle beam microscope is embodied to control the at least one particle beam and the gas flow rate of the at least one etching gas or the gas flow rate of the at least one deposition gas for removing the at least one mark.

20. The measuring system of claim 13 , further comprising a cleaning device embodied to remove the at least one mark by use of a chemical cleaning process.

21. A method for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer, the method comprising:
a. analyzing the at least one defect using at least one scanning probe microscope;
b. producing at least one mark on the photolithographic mask or on the wafer using the at least one scanning probe microscope, wherein the at least one mark is embodied in a way that it can be detected by at least one scanning particle beam microscope; and
c. detecting the at least one mark using at least one particle beam of the at least one scanning particle beam microscope.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the at least one defect comprises a defect which cannot be detected, or cannot be detected reliably, by the at least one scanning particle beam microscope.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the at least one mark is produced so close to the at least one defect that at least p

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Baralia Gabriel
• Baur Christof
• Edinger Klaus
• Hofmann Thorsten
• Budach Michael

Classifications

• G03F7/706837

  Data analysis, e.g. filtering, weighting, flyer removal, fingerprints or root cause analysis · CPC title

• H10P74/203

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

• G01N23/2251 Primary

  using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM] · CPC title

• G01Q30/04 Primary

  Display or data processing devices · CPC title

• G01Q60/38

  Probes, their manufacture, or their related instrumentation, e.g. holders · CPC title