System, method and computed readable medium for evaluating a parameter of a feature having nano-metric dimensions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383196-B2
Application number	US-201313787645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 8, 2012
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A non-transitory computer readable medium, a system and a method. The method may include obtaining, by an image obtaining module, an image of a measurement site, the measurement site comprise the feature, the image of the measurement site comprises an image of the feature; processing, by an image processor, the image of the measurement site to provide an artificial image, the artificial image comprise a artificial image of an artificial feature, the artificial feature differs from the feature; measuring a parameter of the artificial feature to provide a measurement result, wherein the measuring comprises applying a measurement algorithm that is inadequate for measuring the parameter of the feature; and determining a value of the parameter of the feature in response to the measurement result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for evaluating a parameter of a real feature having nano-metric dimensions, the method comprising:
obtaining, by an image obtaining module of an electronic microscope, an image of a measurement site that includes the real feature;
processing, by an image processor, the image of the measurement site to provide an artificial image of a continuous undivided artificial feature, the artificial feature representing an unknown dimension and from the real feature in shape;
measuring a parameter of the artificial feature to provide a measurement result by applying a measurement algorithm that is inadequate for directly measuring the parameter of the real feature; and
determining a value of the parameter of the real feature in response to the measurement result.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the processing comprises mirroring an image of the real feature to provide the image of the artificial feature.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising mirroring an image of the real feature and copying at least one portion of the image of the measurement site to provide the artificial image.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the processing comprises combining multiple images of the real feature to provide the artificial image of the artificial feature.

5. The method according to claim 4 comprising combining multiple images of the real feature and copying at least one portion of the image of the measurement site to provide the artificial image.

6. The method according to claim 4 comprising rotating at least one image of the real feature in relation to at least one other image of the real feature to be combined to form the artificial image of the artificial feature.

7. The method according to claim 4 comprising changing a size of at least one image of the real feature to be used for forming the artificial image of the artificial feature.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the artificial feature is an ellipse.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the artificial feature is a polygon that comprises multiple edges.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein each edge of the polygon is parallel to another edge of the polygon.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the artificial feature comprises at least one linear portion and at least one non-linear portion.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the processing comprises combining at least one portion of an image of the real feature with at least one image of the real feature to provide the artificial image of the artificial feature.

13. The method according to claim 1 comprising:
obtaining, by the image obtaining module, images of multiple measurement sites, each measurement site comprising an instance of the real feature;
repeating, for each measurement site, the stages of:
processing, by an image processor, the image of the measurement site to provide an artificial image of a continuous undivided artificial feature, the artificial feature differs from the real feature in shape;
measuring a parameter of the artificial feature to provide a measurement result, wherein the measuring comprises applying a measurement algorithm that is inadequate for directly measuring the parameter of the real feature; and
determining a value of the parameter of the real feature in response to the measurement result.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the measuring algorithm is adapted to measure the parameter of the real feature and to measure at least one parameter of an additional feature; and wherein the processing comprises combining at least one portion of an image of the real feature and at least one portion of an image of the additional feature to provide the artificial image of the artificial feature.

15. The method according to claim 14 comprising combining at least one image of the real feature and at least one image of the additional feature to provide the artificial image of the artificial feature.

16. The method according to claim 14 comprising copying at least one portion of the image of the measurement site to provide the artificial image.

17. The method according to claim 14 comprising rotating at least one image of the real feature in relation to at least one image of the additional feature to be used for forming the artificial image of the artificial feature.

18. The method according to claim 17 comprising changing a size of at least one image of the real feature to be used for forming the artificial image of the artificial feature.

19. The method according to claim 14 comprising rotating at least one image of the additional feature in relation to at least one image of the real feature to form the artificial image of the artificial feature.

20. The method according to claim 19 comprising changing a size of at least one image of the additional feature to be used for forming the artificial image of the artificial feature.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including machine-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processing units associated with a scanning electronic microscope (SEM), cause:
the SEM to obtain an image of a measurement site that includes a real feature;
the SEM to process the image of the measurement site to provide an artificial image of a continuous undivided artificial feature, the artificial feature representing an unknown dimension and differing from the real feature in shape;
the SEM to measure a parameter of the artificial feature to provide a measurement result by applying a measurement algorithm that is inadequate for directly measuring the parameter of the real feature; and
the SEM to determine a value of the parameter of the real feature in response to the measurement result.

22. A system comprising:
an image obtaining module configured to obtain an image of a measurement site that includes a real feature;
an image processor configured to process the image of the measurement site to provide an artificial image of a continuous undivided artificial feature, wherein the artificial feature represents an unknown dimension and differs from the real feature in shape; and
a measurement module configured to (i) measure a parameter of the artificial feature to provide a measurement result by applying a measurement algorithm that is inadequate for directly measuring a parameter of the real feature; and (ii) determine a value of the parameter of the real feature in response to the measurement result.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Israel Ltd
• Applied Materials Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Yahav Yuval
• Adan Ofer

Classifications

• H01J37/222 Primary

  Image processing arrangements associated with the tube · CPC title

• H01J2237/24578

  Spatial variables, e.g. position, distance · CPC title

• G06T2207/30148

  Semiconductor; IC; Wafer · CPC title

• G01B15/00 Primary

  Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electromagnetic waves or particle radiation, e.g. by the use of microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays or electrons (characterised by the use of optical techniques G01B9/00, G01B11/00) · CPC title

• G03F7/70616

  Monitoring the printed patterns · CPC title