Apparatus and method for optical inspection, magnetic field and height mapping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513230-B2
Application number	US-201314095918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Dec 14, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A metrology system is configured to provide visual inspection of a workpiece, three-dimensional magnetic field map, and height measurement. A stage is configured to bring points of interest at the workpiece under the desired tool for measurement. The optical field, magnetic field, and height information can be used independently or together in order to correlate defects in the manufacturing process of the workpiece. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an optical inspection tool configured to provide image information of a sample by analyzing an image obtained by the optical inspection tool;
a magnetic sensor configured to provide magnetic field information of the sample;
a height sensor configured to provide height information of the sample, wherein the optical inspection tool, the magnetic sensor and the height sensor are mounted to a system head;
a stage configured to hold the sample, wherein the stage and system head are configured to move relative to each other, wherein the stage includes one or more fiducial features, the one or more fiducial features including an optical fiducial feature that is detectable in an image obtained by the optical inspection tool when the optical inspection tool is aligned with respect to the optical fiducial feature, a magnetic fiducial feature detectable by the magnetic sensor when the magnetic sensor is aligned with respect to the magnetic feature and a height fiducial feature that is detectable by the height sensor when the height sensor is aligned with respect to the height fiducial feature.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a processor coupled to the optical inspection tool, the magnetic sensor, and the height sensor, wherein the processor is configured to collect the image information, the magnetic field information and the height information of the sample and use alignment information from the one or more fiducial features to determine one or more relative offsets between two or more of the optical inspection tool, the magnetic sensor, and the height sensors.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to use the one or more relative offsets to obtain magnetic field and sample height information at a given position on the sample.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical inspection tool is an optical microscope.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sensor is a Hall probe.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sensor has a temperature sensing function.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the height sensor is a capacitive sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sensor and the height sensor are provided in a bracket mounted on the system head.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiducial feature includes an optical calibration slide having features of known dimension that are detectable by the optical inspection tool.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic fiducial feature includes a magnetic calibration piece having a permanent magnet fixed underneath the magnetic calibration piece, wherein the magnetic calibration piece has one or more slits through which a magnetic flux of the permanent magnet leaks.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the optical fiducial feature.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the height fiducial feature.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the optical fiducial feature and also part of the height fiducial feature.

14. A method, comprising:
imparting relative movement between a stage which holds a sample and a system head, wherein an optical inspection tool configured to obtain images of the sample, a magnetic sensor and a height sensor are mounted to the system head; and
determining relative positions of the optical inspection tool, the magnetic sensor and the height sensor with respect to one or more fiducial features on the stage, the one or more fiducial features including an optical fiducial feature that is detectable in an image obtained by the optical inspection tool when the optical inspection tool is aligned with respect to the optical fiducial feature, a magnetic fiducial feature detectable by the magnetic sensor when the magnetic sensor is aligned with respect to the magnetic feature and a height fiducial feature that is detectable by the height sensor when the height sensor is aligned with respect to the height fiducial feature.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising using the relative positions determined with the one or more fiducial features to determine one or more relative offsets between two or more of the optical inspection tool, the magnetic sensor, and the height sensor.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
acquiring image information of the sample with the optical inspection tool;
acquiring magnetic field information of the sample with the magnetic sensor;
acquiring height information of the sample with the height sensor; and
using the or more relative offsets to obtain magnetic field and sample height information at a given position on the sample.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the magnetic sensor and the height sensor are provided in a bracket mounted on the system head.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the optical fiducial feature includes an optical calibration slide having circles of known dimension for position calibration for the optical inspection tool.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the magnetic calibration feature includes a magnetic calibration piece having a permanent magnet fixed underneath the magnetic calibration piece, wherein the magnetic calibration piece has one or more slits through which a magnetic flux of the permanent magnet leaks.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the optical fiducial feature.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the height fiducial feature.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the one or more slits are also part of the optical fiducial feature and also part of the height fiducial feature.

Assignees

• Kla Tencor Corp

Inventors

• Gerling John
• Wagner Edward
• Nasser-Ghodsi Mehran
• Pickard Garrett
• Plettner Tomas
• Haynes Robert
• Sears Christopher

Classifications

• G01B11/24

  for measuring contours or curvatures · CPC title

• H04N7/18

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title

• G01N27/82

  for investigating the presence of flaws · CPC title

• G01N21/9501 Primary

  Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20) · CPC title

• G01B7/102 Primary

  Height gauges · CPC title