Method, computer program product and system for detecting manufacturing process defects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020118855-A1
Application number	US-201916683145-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 13, 2019
Priority date	May 17, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system, computer program product and a method for detecting manufacturing process defects, the method may include: obtaining multiple edge measurements of one or more structural elements after a completion of each one of multiple manufacturing phases; generating spatial spectrums, based on the multiple edge measurements, for each one of the multiple manufacturing phases; determining relationships between bands of the spatial spectrums; and identifying at least one of the manufacturing process defects based on the relationships between the bands of the spatial spectrums.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method for detecting manufacturing process defects, the method comprising:
obtaining multiple edge measurements of one or more structural elements after a completion of each one out of multiple manufacturing phases; generating spatial spectrums, based on the multiple edge measurements, for each one of the multiple manufacturing phases; determining relationships between bands of the spatial spectrums; and identifying at least one of the manufacturing process defects based on the relationships between the bands of the spatial spectrums.

2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the obtaining of the multiple edge measurements comprises irradiating, by a charged particle metrology tool, edges of the one or more structural elements.

3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the obtaining of the multiple edge measurements comprise obtaining tilted images of the one or more structural elements.

4 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the obtaining of the multiple edge measurements comprising obtaining bottom edge measurements and top edge measurements of the structural elements.

5 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising virtually segmenting each of the spatial spectrums to define multiple bands.

6 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising forcing a modification of one or more manufacturing process parameters when finding the at least one of the manufacturing process defects.

7 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving or generating one or more reference spatial spectrums, and determining at least one relationship between the bands of the spatial spectrums and bands of the one or more reference spatial spectrums.

8 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more structural elements comprise a mandrel, a spacer, spacer elements and intermediate layer elements that are formed by applying a etch process on the spacer elements.

9 . A computer program product that stores instructions comprising:
obtaining multiple edge measurements of one or more structural elements after a completion of each one of multiple manufacturing phases; generating spatial spectrums, based on the multiple edge measurements, for each one of the multiple manufacturing phases; determining relationships between bands of the spatial spectrums; and identifying at least one manufacturing process defect based on the relationships between the bands of the spatial spectrums.

10 . The computer program product according to claim 9 wherein the obtaining of the multiple edge measurements comprises:
irradiating, by a charged particle metrology tool, edges of the one or more structural elements,
obtaining tilted images of the one or more structural elements, and/or
obtaining bottom edge measurements and top edge measurements of the structural elements.

11 . The computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising instructions for virtually segmenting each of the spatial spectrums to define multiple bands.

12 . The computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising instructions for forcing a modification of one or more manufacturing process parameters when finding the at least one of the manufacturing process defects.

13 . The computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising instructions for receiving or generating one or more reference spatial spectrums, and determining at least one relationship between the bands of the spatial spectrums and bands of the one or more reference spatial spectrums.

14 . The computer program product according to claim 9 wherein the one or more structural elements comprise a mandrel, a spacer, spacer elements and intermediate layer elements that are formed by applying a etch process on the spacer elements.

15 . A system that comprises a processor and a memory unit, wherein the memory unit is constructed and arranged to store multiple edge measurements of one or more structural elements after a completion of each one out of multiple manufacturing phases; wherein the processor is constructed and arranged to (a) generate spatial spectrums, based on the multiple edge measurements, for each one of the multiple manufacturing phases; (b) determine relationships between bands of the spatial spectrums; and (c) identify at least one manufacturing process defect based on the relationships between the bands of the spatial spectrums.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Amzaleg Moshe
• Adan Ofer

Classifications

• H10P76/4088

  Processes for improving the resolution of the masks · CPC title

• H10P76/4085 Primary

  characterised by the processes involved to create the masks · CPC title

• H10P76/4083

  characterised by their behaviours during the lithography processes, e.g. soluble masks or redeposited masks · CPC title

• H10P74/203

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

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title