Charged particle beam apparatus and inspection method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9659744-B2
Application number	US-201514948167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2015
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A charged particle beam apparatus makes it possible to acquire information in the cross-sectional direction (depth direction) of a sample having an internal structure in a nondestructive manner with reduced damage. Further, the apparatus makes it possible to analyze the depth and/or dimensions in the depth direction of the internal structure. The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a means for providing a time base for control signals; a means for applying a charged particle beam to a sample in synchronization with the time base and controlling an irradiation position; a means for analyzing the emission characteristics of an emission electron from the sample from a detection signal of the emission electron; and a means for analyzing the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample based on the emission characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:
a charged particle beam source;
a control parameter setting portion of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) control system configured to set irradiation energy of a charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle source;
a master clock generator configured to provide a time base for a control signal;
a deflection signal controller configured to apply the charged particle beam to a sample in synchronization with the time base and to control an irradiation position;
a detection controller configured to detect an emission electron from the sample received by a detector in synchronization with the time base;
a detection signal processor configure to analyze emission characteristics of the emission electron from a detection signal of the emission electron; and
an analysis and display portion of the SEM control system configured to analyze electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample based on the emission characteristics of the emission electron.

2. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the emission characteristics of the emission electron is a signal value of a detection signal of the emission electron, a time constant at which a detection signal of the emission electron is brought into a steady state, or an integrated value obtained by integrating a detection signal of an emission electron by time.

3. A charged particle beam apparatus comprising:
a charged particle beam source;
a control parameter setting portion of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) control system configured to set irradiation energy of a charged particle beam emitted from the charged particle source;
a master clock generator configured to provide a time base for a control signal;
a deflection signal controller configured to apply the charged particle beam to a sample in synchronization with the time base and to control an irradiation position;
a detection controller configured to detect an emission electron from the sample in synchronization with the time base;
an image formation portion of the SEM control system configured to form an image from a first control signal for controlling the irradiation position, a second control signal for applying the charged particle beam to the sample, and a detection signal of the emission electron; and
an analysis and display portion of the SEM control system configured to analyze the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample from the brightness or contrast of the image.

4. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the analysis and display portion uses a plurality of images acquired under a plurality of irradiation conditions for analyzing the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample.

5. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the deflection signal controller intermittently applies the charged particle beam in synchronization with the time base for applying the charged particle beam to the sample in synchronization with the time base.

6. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the irradiation condition for intermittent irradiation is an irradiation time and time intervals between irradiations.

7. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrical characteristics of the sample are a value of the capacitance or resistance of the sample, and
wherein the cross-sectional morphological characteristics are the depth position, length, and thickness in the cross-sectional direction of a structure.

8. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the analysis and display portion which analyzes the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample includes a database indicating the relation between the emission characteristics of the emission electron and the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics or the relation between the brightness or contrast of the image and the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics, and
wherein the analysis and display portion analyzes the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample from a detection signal of the emission electron or the image based on each relation stored in the database.

9. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the analysis and display portion which analyzes the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample analyzes the electrical characteristics or the cross-sectional morphological characteristics in a plurality of places in the sample and displays the electrical characteristics or the cross-sectional morphological characteristics mapped.

10. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the sample is a wafer in the process of manufacture of a semiconductor device, and
wherein the analysis and display portion which analyzes the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample is further configured to analyze the dimensions of a fine pattern formed in the wafer or any malformation of the fine pattern from the image.

11. The charged particle beam apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the analysis and display portion which analyzes the dimensions of a fine pattern formed in the wafer or any malformation of the fine pattern from the image is further configured to extract a defective point in a fine pattern formed in the wafer from a difference in brightness or contrast of images acquired under the single irradiation condition and to analyze the electrical characteristics or cross-sectional morphological characteristics of the sample based on the brightness or contrast of a plurality of images analyzed from the images acquired at the extracted defective point under a plurality of irradiation conditions.

12. An inspection method comprising the steps of:
preparing a test sample in which a conductive layer is covered with an insulating layer;
applying charged particle beams different in pulse width to a region of interest in the test sample with the conductive layer formed through the insulating layer to acquire a plurality of images different in contrast;
extracting a pulse width with which contrast is maximized from the images;
using the relation between pulse width with which contrast is maximized and capacitance, obtained using a standard sample in which the thickness of an insulating layer so formed as to cover a conductive layer is known to extract capacitance corresponding to a pulse width with which contrast is maximized in the region of interest in the test sample;
using the extracted capacitance to determine the depth position of the conductive layer in the test sample; and
comparing the determined depth position of the conductive layer with a predetermined criterion to determine whether the test sample is non-defective or defective.

13. The inspection method according to claim 12 , wherein the conductive layer in the test sample is grounded.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Tsuno Natsuki
• Suzuki Naomasa
• Kazumi Hideyuki
• Hotta Shoji
• Kimura Yoshinobu

Classifications

• G01N23/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00 · CPC title

• H01J2237/24592

  Inspection and quality control of devices · CPC title

• H01J37/244 Primary

  Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor · CPC title

• H01J37/28

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

• G01N23/2251

  using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM] · CPC title