Charged particle instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9230775-B2
Application number	US-201213451596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2012
Priority date	May 9, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A charged particle instrument including a controlling and operating unit for controlling a charged particle source, deflecting means, and focus changing means and making a data for an image by an electric signal detected by a detector, and a recording unit for preserving a correction coefficient registered at each image-acquisition, in which the controlling and operating unit acquires plural images while changing a focus, and controls an optical condition such that a landing angle of a charged particle beam becomes perpendicular when an image for measurement is acquired on the basis of a position shift amount of a mark in the image and a correction coefficient registered to the recording unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charged particle instrument comprising:
a charged-particle source, configured to emit a charged particle beam;
a deflector, configured to deflect the charged particle beam;
a focus changing unit, configured to change a focus of the charged particle beam;
a detector, configured to detect an electric signal from a sample irradiated with the charged particle beam;
a recording unit, configured to preserve a correction coefficient registered for each image-acquisition condition; and
a controlling and operating unit, including a processor, configured to:
control the charged-particle source, the deflector, and the focus changing unit, generate data for an image, from the electric signal detected by the detector,
acquire a plurality of images of a mark on the sample, by, for each of the plurality of images, controlling the focus changing unit to change the focus, and by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by a prescribed amount, and
control an optical condition such that a landing angle of the charged particle beam becomes a pre-determined value, when an image for measurement is acquired, by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by an arbitrary amount, on the basis of:
a position shift amount of the mark between at least a first of the plurality of images of the mark acquired at a first focus and at least a second of the plurality of images acquired at a second focus,
and the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit.

2. The charged particle instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
deflect the charged particle beam by a plurality of different amounts, by control of the deflector, acquire the plurality of the images of the mark on the sample for respective deflection amounts, by controlling the focus changing unit to change the focus.

3. The charged particle instrument according to claim 2 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
when the image for measurement is acquired, calculate a distortion aberration from a plurality of the acquired images of the mark, and further control the optical condition on the basis of the calculated distortion aberration by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by the arbitrary amount.

4. The charged particle instrument according to claim 2 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
calculate a beam diameter of the charged particle beam, from a plurality of the acquired images of the mark.

5. The charged particle instrument according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an astigmatism corrector, configured to correct an astigmatism aberration of the charged particle beam,
wherein the controlling and operating unit is configured to control the astigmatism corrector, and wherein the controlling and operating unit is configured to further control the optical condition, on the basis of:
a position shift amount of the mark in the acquired image of the mark,
a correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, and
at least one of a field curvature aberration and an astigmatism aberration calculated from the plurality of the acquired images of the mark.

6. The charged particle instrument according to claim 5 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
deflect the charged particle beam by a plurality of different amounts,
by control of the deflector, acquiring the plurality of images of the mark on the sample,
by changing the focus for respective deflection amounts, and
when the image for measurement is acquired, control the optical condition by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by an arbitrary amount on the basis of: the position shift amount of the mark in the acquired image of the mark, the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, and at least one of the field curvature aberration and the astigmatism aberration calculated from the plurality of acquired images of the mark.

7. The charged particle beam instrument according to claim 6 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
calculate a distortion aberration from the plurality of acquired images of the mark, and
when the image for measurement is acquired, further control the optical condition on the basis of the calculated distortion aberration, by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by an arbitrary amount.

8. The charged particle instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the controlling and operating unit is further configured to:
control the optical condition on the basis of: the position shift amount of the mark in the acquired image, and the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, and
calculate a correction value, by correcting a coefficient calculated from: a relationship between the position shift amount of the mark in the acquired image of the mark, and the focus, by using the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, and
control the optical condition, on the basis of the correction value.

9. The charged particle instrument according to claim 8 , wherein the correction value corresponds to the landing angle of the charged particle beam.

10. The charged particle instrument according to claim 1 ,
wherein the focus changing unit is configured to apply a voltage to a stage used for mounting the sample.

11. The charged particle instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the mark on the sample includes a plurality of hole patterns.

12. A charged particle instrument comprising:
a charged-particle source, configured to emit a charged particle beam;
a deflector, configured to deflect the charged particle beam;
a focus changing unit, configured to change a focus of the charged particle beam;
a detector, configured to detect an electric signal from a sample irradiated with the charged particle beam;
a recording unit, configured to preserve a correction coefficient registered for each image-acquisition condition; and
a controlling and operating unit, including a processor, configured to:
control the charged-particle source, the deflector, and the focus changing unit,
generate data for an image, from the electric signal detected by the detector,
acquire a plurality of images of a mark on the sample, by, for each of the plurality of images, controlling the focus changing unit to change the focus, and by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by a prescribed amount,
acquire an image of a small pattern made on the sample, by controlling the deflector to deflect the charged particle beam by the prescribed amount,
measure a dimension of the small pattern, on the basis of the image of the small pattern, and
correct a measured value of the small pattern on the basis of: a position shift amount of the mark between at least a first of the plurality of images of the mark acquired at a first focus and at least a second of the plurality of images acquired at a second focus, and the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, wherein the focus changing unit is configured to apply a voltage to a stage used for mounting the sample.

13. The charged particle instrument according to claim 12 , wherein correcting the measured value of the small pattern includes:
calculating a correction value, by correcting a coefficient calculated from a relationship between the positional shift amount of the mark in the acquired image of the mark and the focus using the correction coefficient registered to the recording unit, and
correcting t

Assignees

• Ohashi Takeyoshi
• Sohda Yasunari
• Ezumi Makoto
• Fukuda Muneyuki
• Takahashi Noritsugu
• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Ohashi Takeyoshi
• Sohda Yasunari
• Ezumi Makoto
• Fukuda Muneyuki
• Takahashi Noritsugu

Classifications

• H01J2237/1536

  Image distortions due to scanning · CPC title

• H01J2237/2811

  Large objects · CPC title

• H01J37/265

  Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination · CPC title

• H01J2237/1532

  Astigmatism · CPC title

• H01J37/28 Primary

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title