Method of operating scanning electron microscope (SEM) and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12362138-B2
Application number	US-202217879515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2022
Priority date	Nov 11, 2021
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) includes an electron gun, a deflector, an objective lens, first and second detectors each configured to detect emission electrons emitted from the wafer based on the input electron beam being irradiated on the wafer, a first energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than a first energy among emission electrons emitted from a wafer based on an input electron beam from being detected by the first detector, and a second energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than second energy among the emission electrons from being detected by the second detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), the SEM comprising:
an electron gun configured to generate an input electron beam and to irradiate the input electron beam onto a wafer;
a deflector on a path of the input electron beam between the electron gun and the wafer and configured to deflect the path of the input electron beam;
an objective lens on the path of the input electron beam between the deflector and the wafer and configured to focus the input electron beam on the wafer;
a first detector configured to detect a first portion of emission electrons emitted from the wafer based on the input electron beam being irradiated on the wafer, the first detector configured to generate a first image based on the first portion of the emission electrons;
a second detector configured to detect a second portion of the emission electrons and to generate a second image based on the second portion of the emission electrons;
a first energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than a first energy among the emission electrons from being detected by the first detector;
a second energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than a second energy among the emission electrons from being detected by the second detector; and
a processor configured to generate an image of the wafer based on a third portion of the emission electrons having energy between the first energy and the second energy, the processor configured to generate the image of the wafer based on the first image and the second image.

2. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
the second energy filter is spaced apart from the path of the input electron beam.

3. The SEM of claim 2 , wherein
the first energy filter is spaced apart from the path of the input electron beam.

4. The SEM of claim 2 , wherein
the first energy filter is on the path of the input electron beam between the wafer and the objective lens.

5. The SEM of claim 4 , wherein
the first energy filter is configured to neutralize the wafer.

6. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to perform a differential operation on the first image and the second image to generate a differential image.

7. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
the first energy is less than the second energy.

8. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
each of the first and second energy filters is configured to block secondary electrons among the emission electrons.

9. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
the first energy filter is configured to transmit Auger electrons, and
the second energy filter is configured to block Auger electrons.

10. The SEM of claim 1 , wherein
each of the first energy and the second energy is greater than 50 eV.

11. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), the SEM comprising:
an electron gun configured to generate an input electron beam and to irradiate the input electron beam onto a wafer;
a deflector on a path of the input electron beam between the electron gun and the wafer and configured to deflect the path of the input electron beam;
an objective lens on the path of the input electron beam between the deflector and the wafer and configured to focus the input electron beam on the wafer;
a first energy filter on the path of the input electron beam between the objective lens and the wafer and configured to block electrons having energy less than a first energy among emission electrons emitted from the wafer based on the input electron beam being irradiated on the wafer, the first energy filter configured to neutralize charges induced to the wafer;
a first detector configured to detect a first portion of the emission electrons and to generate a first image based on the first portion of the emission electrons; and
a second detector configured to detect a second portion of the emission electrons and to generate a second image based on the second portion of the emission electrons.

12. The SEM of claim 11 , further comprising a second energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than a second energy among the emission electrons from being detected by the second detector.

13. The SEM of claim 12 , wherein
the second energy filter is spaced apart from the path of the input electron beam.

14. The SEM of claim 12 , further comprising a processor configured to generate a differential image based on performing a differential operation on the first image and the second image.

15. The SEM of claim 14 , wherein
the differential image includes an image of the wafer, which is generated by third electrons among the emission electrons having energy between the first energy and the second energy.

16. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), the SEM comprising:
an electron gun configured to generate an input electron beam and to irradiate the input electron beam onto a wafer;
a deflector on a path of the input electron beam between the electron gun and the wafer and configured to deflect the path of the input electron beam;
objective lenses on the path of the input electron beam between the deflector and the wafer and configured to focus the input electron beam on the wafer;
an energy filter configured to block electrons having energy less than or equal to a blocking energy among emission electrons emitted from the wafer based on the input electron beam being irradiated on the wafer, the energy filter configured to control the blocking energy to be a first energy greater than 50 eV and a second energy greater than the first energy;
a detector configured to sense a first portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the first energy and a second portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the second energy; and
a processor configured to perform a differential operation on a signal generated by the first portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the first energy and another signal generated by a third portion of the emission electrons having energy less than or equal to the second energy.

17. The SEM of claim 16 , wherein
the detector is configured to generate
a first image based on the first portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the first energy, and
a second image based on the second portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the second energy, and

the processor is configured to generate a differential image based on performing a first differential operation on the first image and the second image.

18. The SEM of claim 16 , wherein
the detector is configured to generate a first line image based on the first portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the first energy and a second line image based on the second portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the second energy,
each of the first and second line images includes
a plurality of pixels in a first direction, and
one pixel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and

the processor is configured to generate a differential line image based on performing a first differential operation on the first line image and the second line image.

19. The SEM of claim 16 , wherein
the detector is configured to generate
a first signal based on the first portion of the emission electrons having energy greater than or equal to the first energy, which are emitted from a first point of the wafer, and
a second signal based on the second portion of the emission electrons having energ

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ahn Jaehyung
• Kim Kwangeun
• Kim Souk
• Sohn Younghoon

Classifications

• H10P74/203

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

• H10P74/235

  comprising optical enhancement of defects or not-directly-visible states · CPC title

• H01J37/226

  Optical arrangements for illuminating the object; optical arrangements for collecting light from the object · CPC title

• H01J37/244 Primary

  Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor · CPC title

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title