Method for measuring film thickness distribution of wafer with thin films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11965730-B2
Application number	US-202017762859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2020
Priority date	Oct 3, 2019
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

A method includes: determining height Z1 of a focus by an optical microscope having autofocus function which uses irradiation light of wavelength λ0 to adjust the focus; determining a wavelength λ1 of irradiation light used for obtaining observation image of second thin film; obtaining observation image of second thin film by using irradiation light of the wavelength λ1, while altering heights of the focus with the Z1 as reference point; calculating standard deviation of reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image, obtaining height Z2 of the focus corresponding to a peak position where standard deviation is greatest, and calculating a difference ΔZ between Z1 and Z2; correcting the autofocus function with ΔZ as a correction value; and using the corrected autofocus function to adjust the focus, obtaining the observation image of the second thin film, and calculating the film thickness distribution from the reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films, by which a film thickness distribution of a second thin film of a wafer with thin films is measured, the wafer including at least a first thin film formed on a surface of a substrate and the second thin film formed on a surface of the first thin film, the method comprising the steps of:
determining a height Z1 of a focus using the wafer with thin films and an optical microscope with an autofocus function which uses irradiation light of wavelength λ0 to adjust the focus;
determining a wavelength λ1 of irradiation light used for obtaining an observation image of the second thin film of the wafer with thin films;
obtaining the observation image of the second thin film of the wafer with thin films using the optical microscope with the irradiation light of the wavelength λ1, while altering heights of the focus with the Z1 as a reference point;
calculating a standard deviation of a reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image, obtaining a height Z2 of the focus corresponding to a peak position where the standard deviation of the reflected-light intensity distribution is greatest, and calculating a difference ΔZ between the Z1 and the Z2;
correcting the autofocus function of the optical microscope with the ΔZ as a correction value; and
using the corrected autofocus function to adjust the focus, obtaining the observation image of the second thin film of the wafer with thin films using the optical microscope, and calculating the film thickness distribution of the second thin film from the reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image.

2. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the wavelength λ1 comprises the steps of:
calculating a profile P 1 by a simulation, the profile P 1 indicating a wavelength dependence of a reflectance of the wafer with thin films with respect to light of a wavelength region not less than a wavelength of visible light;
calculating a profile P 22 by a simulation, the profile P 22 indicating a wavelength dependence of a reflectance of a reference wafer with thin films which includes a first thin film that is t thinner or thicker than a set film thickness T 1 of the first thin film of the wafer with thin films with respect to the light of the wavelength region not less than the wavelength of visible light;
calculating a profile P 32 (=P 22 −P 1 ) of a difference between the calculated profiles P 1 and P 22 and determining as λ1 a wavelength observed when the calculated profile P 32 of the difference becomes 0.

3. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 2 , wherein the wafer with thin films is an SOI wafer, the first thin film is a buried oxide film layer, and the second thin film is an SOI layer composed of silicon single crystal.

4. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 3 , wherein the irradiation light of the wavelength λ0 has a longer wavelength than the wavelength λ1, and the wavelength λ1 is a single wavelength selected from the wavelength of visible light.

5. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 2 , wherein the irradiation light of the wavelength λ0 has a longer wavelength than the wavelength λ1, and the wavelength λ1 is a single wavelength selected from the wavelength of visible light.

6. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 1 , wherein the wafer with thin films is an SOI wafer, the first thin film is a buried oxide film layer, and the second thin film is an SOI layer composed of silicon single crystal.

7. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 6 , wherein the irradiation light of the wavelength λ0 has a longer wavelength than the wavelength λ1, and the wavelength λ1 is a single wavelength selected from the wavelength of visible light.

8. The method for measuring a film thickness distribution of a wafer with thin films according to claim 1 , wherein the irradiation light of the wavelength λ0 has a longer wavelength than the wavelength λ1, and the wavelength λ1 is a single wavelength selected from the wavelength of visible light.

Assignees

• Shinetsu Handotai Kk
• Unity Semiconductor

Inventors

• Kuwabara Susumu
• Quinquinet Kevin
• Gastaldo Philippe

Classifications

• H10P74/23

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

• H10P74/203 Primary

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

• G01B11/0625 Primary

  with measurement of absorption or reflection · CPC title

• G01B11/0633 Primary

  using one or more discrete wavelengths · CPC title

• G01B11/06

  for measuring thickness {; e.g. of sheet material (thickness measurement by thermal means G01B21/085)} · CPC title