System and method for scanning an object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9490101-B2
Application number	US-201514658993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A system for scanning an object, the system may include (a) charged particles optics that is configured to: scan, with a charged particle beam and at a first scan rate, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object; detect first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI; scan, with the charged particle beam and at a second scan rate, a second ROI of the area of the object; wherein the second scan rate is lower than the first scan rate; wherein first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter; detect second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROA; and (b) a processor that is configured to generate at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for scanning an object, the system comprises:
charged particles optics configured to:
scan, with a charged particle beam, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object at a first scan rate;
detect first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI;
scan, with the charged particle beam, a second ROI of the area of the object at a second scan rate lower than the first scan rate, wherein the first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter, the at least one parameter being either an electron yield, an expected electron yield or a signal to noise ratio; and
detect second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROI; and
a processor that is configured to generate at least one image of the area in response to the first and second paricles;
wherein: (i) when the at least one parameter is an electron yield, an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI; (ii) when the at least one parameter is an expected electron yield, the expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an expected electron yield of the first ROI; (iii) and when the at least one parameter is a signal to noise ratio, the signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is an electron yield, and an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is an expected electron yield, and an expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is a signal to noise ratio, and a signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the charged particles optics is configured to: perform an initial scanning of the area of the object at an initial scan rate, detect initial particles that were generated as a result of the initial scanning of the area, and generate at least one initial image of the area in response to the initial particles; and wherein the processor is configured to process the at least one initial image to detect the first and second ROI.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein:
the processor is configured to define a first segment and a second segment that belong to the area, the first segment comprising the first ROI and the second segment comprising the second ROI;
a scanning of the first ROI at the first scan rate is included in a scanning of the first segment; and
a scanning of the second ROI at the second scan rate is included in a scanning of the second segment.

7. A system for scanning an object, the system comprises:
charged particles optics configured to:
scan, with a charged particle beam, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object at a first scan rate;
detect first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI;
scan, with the charged particle beam, a second ROI of the area of the object at a second scan rate lower than the first scan rate, wherein the first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter; and
detect second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROI; and
a processor that is configured to generate at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles;
wherein the charged particles optics is configured to: perform an initial scanning of the area of the object at an initial scan rate, detect initial particles that were generated as a result of the initial scanning of the area, and generate at least one initial image of the area in response to the initial particles; and wherein the processor is configured to process the at least one initial image to detect the first and second ROI;
wherein the processor is configured to define a first segment and a second segment that belong to the area, the first segment comprising the first ROI and the second segment comprising the second ROI; a scanning of the first ROI at the first scan rate is included in a scanning of the first segment and a scanning of the second ROI at the second scan rate is included in a scanning of the second segment; and
wherein the initial scan rate is higher than the second scan rate.

8. A method for imaging an object, the method comprising:
scanning, with a charged particle beam, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object at a first scan rate;
detecting first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI;
scanning with the charged particle beam, a second ROI of the area of the object at a second scan rate lower than the first scan rate, wherein the first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter, the at least one parameter being either an electron yield, an expected electron yield or a signal to noise ratio;
detecting second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROI; and
generating at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles;
wherein: (i) when the at least one parameter is an electron yield, an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI; (ii) when the at least one parameter is an expected electron yield, the expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an expected electron yield of the first ROI; (iii) and when the at least one parameter is a signal to noise ratio, the signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the parameter is an electron yield and an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the parameter is an expected electron yield and an expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

11. The method according to claim 8 wherein the parameter is a signal to noise ratio and a signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Gronau Yuval
• Schwarzband Ishai
• Sender Benzion
• Shemesh Dror
• Schleyen Ran
• Greenberg Ofir

Classifications

• H01J37/222 Primary

  Image processing arrangements associated with the tube · CPC title

• H01J2237/221

  Image processing · CPC title

• H01J37/28

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

• H01J2237/24592

  Inspection and quality control of devices · CPC title

• H01J2237/2803

  characterised by the imaging method · CPC title